Mad World
by ahiddenbanshee
Summary: A small family stumble upon the Atlanta survivor camp, recognising familiar faces and finding their places among the group. What's surviving a walking dead apocalypse without a little romance?
1. 1

**A.N: Alright, here's the thing. I know there are alot of Daryl/OC stories out there... and here's another one! :D This is just my hand at the pairing. I tried very hard to make it not...ya know...suck. It's similar to a few stories already out there, but I swear I did not read them before I wrote my story, I had my story going since the 2nd season started, had it brewing in my head since before the 2nd season, and now I've finally got it typed out and I think it's not all bad, but ya know. It's up to readers whether it's worthy or not :) A review would be nice, but it's not required. I'm gonna base it off of views on whether I'll keep it going or not.**

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><p><em>Worst Post Apocalyptic First Impression Ever<em>

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><p>"Are you sure you saw smoke or were you dreaming?" JoJo asked for second time that morning, they'd been walking for hours, since sunrise, following a hopeless trail toward what Ben believed was another group of survivors, and possibly minor salvation. They hadn't encountered any human beings in over two weeks, they'd made contact with plenty of walkers, taking care of them as needed, they carried two shot guns, an aluminum bat and a trench knife passed down from generation to generation in their family. They'd do what they had to do survive, killing included and moved along, they wouldn't admit it to each other, but they were starting to fear they were the only people left in the world.<p>

"Yes, Jo, I'm sure I saw it. Just another mile up this hill and they'll be there, I know it." Ben was speaking through his teeth, his jaw clenched as he trudged along the forest floor in the direction which he told his family. He had a fiery temper, from who he inheirted that trait from, they weren't sure, they all had a bit of a temper, Lacey and Ben the hottest tempered of them all. If there's ever a fight between those two, it becomes a war zone of verbal bashing before an eerie silence takes over from a span of 2 to 8 days.  
>Jo looked over his shoulder at his other two siblings, a small smirk on his mouth and a look calling for assistance, as well a constant look of exhaustion. They were all exhausted, tired beyond belief. They had two tents, one cot, four sleeping bags and a couple of blankets, it was safe to say no one slept comfortably through the night, especially with the constant fear of being bitten or devoured by a walker, or whatever those people who were dead and came back to life with a taste for the living were called.<p>

Lacey just gave a shrug, even if there weren't other surivivors they'd still be able to make camp where they were for the night and then set off again the next morning, exhausted and scared.  
>An hour had passed and JoJo was at it again and Ben was very close to snapping, "It's okay, Ben, sometimes dreams seem really real. This one time I dreamt about this girl in my English 102 class-"<br>"Jo, just shut up! We're almost there."  
>"I'm just sayin', Ben. If there's nothing there, we won't be mad at you. Just like I wasn't mad about how that dream ended with me and that girl from English." JoJo winked and nudged his brother in the ribs with his elbow.<br>Ben was fuming, Lacey and Robert tried hard to smother their giggles as they walked behind the feuding two. Youngest vs. Eldest.  
>"Jo. I swear to God, if you do not shut up right n-"<br>"Woah!" Jo stepped forward, ahead of the group, picking up speed as he ran up the hill toward what ever had suddenly peaked his interest.  
>"JoJo!" Lacey shouted after him, one of their established rules, always stay within each others sight. And as Jo's form disappeared once he reached the top of the hill, he broke that rule. The three sighed, too fatigued to chase after him. "I swear, he always has to rebel." Ben grumbled.<br>"Wonder who he learned that from, _Lace_." Robbie nudged her with a grin, to which she rolled her eyes.  
>The three started up the hill at a slower pace, expecting their youngest to eventually come back to them, or they'd meet him up there at the top of the hill, but their expectations were extinguished a moment later when in the distance they heard a yell of what sounded like 'Walker!' and that's when they bolted, their burned out pace turning into that of demon speed in less than a second flat.<br>"He's not a walker! Don't shoot!" Robert's voice carried through the trees as he ran fastest past his sister and brother to the youngest of them who was about to shot down.

The family finally emerged to find themselves in a relatively large survivor camp site.  
>There was a huge RV, looking like it came from the 70's, a few other vehicles, two fire pits and a number of tents spread around the area. But what sent their heart fluttering to their throats was the sight of people. Living, breathing, non-dead-come-back-to-life people. The survivors stared at the Black family, and they stared back, they amount of shock equal from both parties.<br>"HA! I fuckin' told you!" Ben's voice suddenly shouted, making nearly everyone in the camp jump.  
>Lacey shook her head, mentally berating her brothers for creating the perfect first impression in this post apocalypic world. Walking dead infested Earth or not, manners were still applicable. She and Robert stepped forward, further into the camp while Ben and JoJo started arguing again, about what, no one was too sure.<p>

An older man with a white beard and fisherman's hat stepped forward to greet the newcomers, he seemed like the sort of constantly friendly kind of man, given any situation, even in this unbelievable situation. "Hi there," he started, but Lacey had her focus on two people behind him, a man and woman who seemed much more awestruck then the rest of the camp and before anyone could register what was happening a boy ran forward as he cried out, "Lacey! Robbie!"  
>Lacey's knees almost buckled as the boy ran full steam at her, recognising every little freckle on his face and those particular blue eyes he shared with his father, she couldn't believe how stupid or tired she must have been to not recognise Lori and Shane when they stared her and Robert down.<br>"Oh, my God." Lacey gasped and fell to her knees as Carl finally reached her and hugged her tightly, then moved to Robert who quickly picked up the 10 year old boy and squeezed him just as tightly as the boy did.  
>"Lori." Lacey whimpered and felt a wetness on her cheeks as she and the slightly older woman stumbled toward each other and broke down into a pitiful mess against one another as they hugged.<br>"Who's this?" Lori pulled away a moment later, wiping her tears away to take note of the thing, or rather, someone, on Lacey's back that prevented her from giving her friend a proper hug.  
>"That ain't yours, couldn't be. Last time I saw you your stomach was a flat as it is now." Shane stepped up next to Lori to ask the burning question. For the moment it seemed like it was just the Black's, Lori and Carl Grimes, and Shane Walsh reuniting again, forgetting that their was a camp site around them filled with an audience watching them like some sort of live soap opera.<br>"I can explain." Lacey laughed and brushed her tears of happiness away with her sleeve, she laughed again realising she'd been crying. She was never a crier, the only time you could see Lacey Black crying was if something was really hilarious and she'd completely lost her mind on the floor as she laughed until tears streamed down her cheeks. That was the only time she'd allow people to see her tears, other times she'd cry...well, she made sure she was alone.  
>"You'd better, girl. Come on, bring those no good boys with you, and meet everyone." Shane chuckled as Ben stuck his hand out to shake the officers, Shane reciprocated, and the handshake turned into a half hug as the Black's followed Lori and Shane to the large fire pit.<br>"Somebody shoutin' 'bout a walker up here?" a voice pierced the momentary celebration, and all bodies and eyes turned to the speaker. A man with a crossbow and a very irritated, yet somehow at the same time, worried, look stood at the tree line where there were tin cans on string, creating an alarm barrier around the camp.  
>"Nah, everything's alright up here, Daryl. No walker, just some more survivors." Shane explained with a rare grin, but it went unseen by the hunter.<br>The man with the crossbow scoffed and rolled his eyes, grumbling as he walked back into the forest, "Screamin' 'bout stupid shit...no god damn walker... more mouths to feed..."  
>"He seems nice." JoJo spoke up, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but a smirk pulled at his mouth when a few quiet giggles followed his comment. JoJo, ever the joker. Everyone moved to the fire pit to sit down and meet the new people...<p>

"Andrea, Amy, Carol, Sophia, Carol's husband Ed is back in their tent, Jim, Jacqui, Glenn, T-Dog, Dale, and the rest are down by the quarry." Shane had taken it upon himself to do the introductions, gesturing his hand to each person he named, resulting in a small wave, nod or greeting from said person. He turned to the Black's. "Ben, Robert, Lacey and JoJo Black...and..." Shane trailed off at the sight of the baby, a girl, they could tell by the small pink splotches of clothe behind the dirt and grime.  
>"Oh, Honey." Lacey smirked. The group gave her a strange look before Lori spoke up, "And where did Honey come from?"<br>"On our way to these forests, we walked along the highway out of Atlanta, there was a girl, couldn't've been older than 16, laying under an overpass with this little gal. We ran to help her, but when we got their the girl was already taking her last breaths, she told us to keep her baby safe, and then she was gone. We didn't know her name so we started calling her Honey."  
>A quiet collective 'ooh' echoed around the circle. "What about them hounds?" Shane nodded.<br>"That yellow lab, we call her Blondie, German Sherpard, she's called Rocket. That Old English, he's Blue." Ben pointed out to the three dogs sitting loyally near the Black's feet.  
>The Black family had never owned a pet, not even a fish. Though they remember begging their parents for a dog, or a cat, even a bird, anything, they never got one. Even when they finally got a house of their own no animal was ever adopted into their family. Lacey was the dog lover, while the other guys preferred cats, claiming they're easier to take care of... though JoJo did mention something about a hedgehog once. The boy was peculiar in his interests, there was no doubt about that.<br>"Where'd you get them?" the young blonde girl, Andrea's little sister, Amy wondered.  
>"In the city. We passed through there a week or so after <em>it <em>started." Robert explained, "Found Blue first. Then Rocket found us, and Blue led us to Blondie. All abandoned." Carl looked up at Robert from his lap, "Are they nice?"  
>"Very," Lacey nodded, "Rocket's a great guard dog. Took down 3 straggling walkers on our way out of the city, but she's a total snuggler."<br>Carl laughed, so did a few others.  
>"How long have you been out here?" Dale, the old man with the beard and the hat asked. As well as friendly he seemed the worried, fatherly type.<br>"Probably the same as you. We stayed in the town a little longer after it started, headed into the city and gathered as much supplies as we could get, then headed to the forest. Last night Ben said he saw smoke and decided to find where it was coming from and then we found you." JoJo explained as he scratched behind Blue's ear.  
>"Speaking of supplies..." Lacey stood up, keeping Honey planted on her hip as she dragged a hefty looking duffel bag toward the rest of the group. Grunting slightly as she wondered how Robbie made it look so light.<br>"We have food, and a couple tents, if you let us stay we won't take up too much room and we can offer extra rations."  
>"Lacey, you silly girl." Shane laughed, "We're letting you stay no matter what."<br>"Extra food," Andrea sighed and chuckled, "You're life savers."  
>"I think tonight we should have a little celebration..." Lori threw the idea out, and slowly but surely the rest of the group agreed, "Welcoming the Black pack to our group." Shane nodded and put an arm around Lacey's shoulders.<p>

And so it was decided, and the rest of the day, Lacey and JoJo got acquainted with the rest of the group, while Ben and Robbie set up the tents and went out into the woods with Glenn and T-Dog to get some more firewood.  
>"She's gorgeous..." Lori gently bounced the little blonde girl on her knee, "How have you been feeding her?" she asked, the thought had occurred suddenly.<br>"Formula and baby food," Lacey nodded, "her mom was stocked up on it, a entire backpack full of it."  
>"Nice to know she was prepared." Lori mummbled and looked back to the baby, she pulled the girls fist from her mouth to inspect the inside, "Looks like she's teething. She's probably around 5 or 6 months."<br>Lacey just nodded, a silence between the two, aside from the gurgles and other little sounds from Honey, "You know...I thought it would be the worst mistake ever to bring a baby with us...She'd be like a siren to the walkers, and bring them right to us..." Lacey shook her head with a small smirk, "but she's so quiet, hardly cries loud enough for anyone to hear from 5 feet away...it's like...it's like she knows what's going on...like...I don't know." she shrugged with a laugh.  
>"Maybe she does know. Maybe she can sense how everyone else is acting, especially you, since you're basically her mother now."<br>Lori noticed Lacey swallow before replying, "Yeah."  
>Lori grinned, "It's weird. Isn't it. Motherhood?"<br>The younger girl nodded, "Babysitting Carl wasn't anything like this." Lori chuckled next to her. Her memories recalling the numerous times Lacey would call Lori while babysitting, asking her endless ridiculous questions in the most worried of tones, though there was never any danger, Lacey just worried and worried when in the presence of baby Carl.  
>"I mean, this isn't even my baby either, I didn't go through the nine months, then the delivery. She was sprung onto me... and it's like... this weird sort of... instinct... took over."<br>Lori nodded, still grinning, "Yeah. That's being a mother for ya."  
>Lacey faked a shiver, and the two laughed.<br>"Ah, _shit_. S'that a baby?...Fuck. We're _so_ **fucked** now." that hunter from earlier had emerged from the woods, interrupting the two women in the moment of peace. Lacey noted the rope of squirrels hanging from his arm. She winced before glaring up at the redneck, "Excuse me, but for your information she's a very quiet baby, and her name is Honey."  
>"<em>Honey<em>? What the hell kind of name is Honey? That's a stripper name, s'what that is." he spoke as he took a seat near the fire pit across from the women. Lori put a hand on the ash blonde's arm, hoping to calm her before her temper got the best of her.  
>"And I'm sure your name is reputable?" Lacey quickly shot back, a quiet sigh of defeat sounded from next to her, and Lori's hand recoiled.<br>The hunter pulled the squirrels from his shoulder and put them on the stones of the pit.  
>"Daryl Dixon."<br>Lacey tried to smother her smirk as she rolled her eyes, "_Oooh_, I see. Far more prestigious. My apologies, Mr. Dixon."  
>Lori eyes looked between the hunter and her closest girl friend, knowing both their personalities this would definitely end badly.<br>"And what's your name, _darlin'_, something just as slutty as your kids?"  
>Lacey's smirk disappeared as she narrowed her eyes at the man who started skinning his kills.<br>"Lacey."  
>The man snorted a laugh and went back to his work.<br>Lacey glared but refused to keep the ridiculous agrument going, she decided to take the high road for once, instead of fighting a battle to the very end, she chose a cease fire.  
>She just rolled her eyes and looked to Honey who was reaching out a small chubby hand to her.<br>She smiled as she took the tiny hand into her own and murmured a gentle 'Hi, there.' to the girl.

"Ya know..." Lacey inhaled deeply through her nose at the sound of the redneck's voice filling the air again, she bit her tongue to keep from lashing out _'Yes, I bet I do know! You hillbilly twit!_'.  
>"You look familiar...I think I've seen you somewhere." Daryl mummbled as he pointed his knife at her lazily. Lacey eyed the knife and fought a growl.<br>"Really?" she asked with a pinch of arrogance as she lifted her gaze to look at the man.  
>His blue eyes were scanning what he could from his position, he nodded, "I've seen you before."<br>"And just where do you think you've seen _me_?" that arrogant tone growing stronger, if Ben were there he'd tell her it was their mother's high and mighty voice she was using.  
>"Can't place it yet, gimme some time to think, girl." he scoffed and went back to skinning, occasionally glancing up at Lacey every now and then.<br>"Well, this is _thrilling_, really. But I'm gonna try and put Honey down for a nap." she stood up and Lori passed Honey to her, the girl and her baby starting for their tent.  
>"There it is!" Dixon's voice cried out triumphantly. Lacey rolled her eyes before turning around, waiting for his explanation of where he knew her from. She knew whatever he said was going to be wrong, since she'd never seen or met him before in all her 13 years in Georgia.<br>"Couldn't ever forget an ass like_ that_." Daryl laughed.  
>Lacey's stomach dropped, those that had heard the comment stopped and listened.<br>"That swanky place called the...shit, what was it called, something fuckin' stupid...umm..." everyone seemed to be on the edge of their seats as Lacey's face flushed and her heart pounded. _Pleasure Theatre_, her mind brought the memories back instantly, she winced as Daryl's voice boomed out again, "The Pleasure Theatre," he laughed, "Stupid name, hot chicks. But _you_," he pointed his skinning knife at Lacey with a smirk, he let out a low whistle, "I saw _you_ there."  
>JoJo was looking between Lacey and Daryl, his eyes confused and questioning.<br>"You were the girl in that giant ass martini glass." the hunter kept rattling off facts, and Lacey's face grew brighter.  
>"How the hell could someone like <em>you<em> get into a club like t_hat?_" Lacey hissed, the embarrassment almost becoming too much for her, tears blurring her vision.  
>"It was my birthday. Merle did something nice for me, for once." he shrugged, but then looked up at her, that smirk growing wider as he looked her up and down, the mental image of her undressing provovativly in front of a crowd of 150+ men to some old 20's inspired music, before climbing up into that ridiculous glass and splashing around before tantalizingly removing her last two articles of clothing, and just barely showing them all what the wanted before the curtains closed and her act was over, the memory was fresh in his mind now. "O<em>h<em> how nice it was."

Lacey looked around, trying to blink the tears back, trying to come up with something to say, but- her heart just about stopped, Ben and Robbie...  
>Ben dropped the wood into a pile, before stalking dangerously over to his sister, "A word?"<br>She gulped before asking Lori to take care of Honey for a moment. The two went into one of their tents, and it began...  
>Lori and JoJo were aware this would be 'the battle of the century', the red color of anger in Ben's face mirrored the red embarrassment filling Lacey's cheeks. Their tempers were matched in fierceness, and their vocabulary vast for a rude, hurtful bashing, but this was different. This was a secret that no one knew about, Lacey hadn't told anyone about her secret side job, knowing this is the consequence she would face.<br>"You said you were working at that diner in the city, waitressing and washing dishes! I expected better from you, Lacey. All our lives I've tried to have the best for us, so we wouldn't drop to those kind of lows. Why didn't you tell me! I wouldn't have let you go out there like that! Exposing yourself for money?..." Ben's explosion seemed to hit a stop, and was waiting for a response.  
>"...It...it was a nice club. I mean-" Lacey winced, her mind still stuck in that mega embarrassed state that she could even muster an articulate sentence.<br>"Nice club! Hundreds, hell, maybe even thousands of men saw you, completely naked. What about Keenan? Hm? Did he know? What would he have thought?"  
>"It was before Keenan. There were some college things I had to pay off and I didn't want to ask you for more money 'cause you said we were already struggling. It was only for a month and a half."<br>There was a long pause, people outside listened, though they knew they shouldn't, but...they really couldn't help themselves, the tent walls were as thin as paper and Ben was beyond loud.  
>"...Lacey...I...I'm just...I'm not mad... I'm just very disappointed in you."<br>And like a firecracker Lacey was back, that embarrassed tone in her cheeks and voice replaced with fury.  
>"Disappointed! Who the fuck do you think you are! Dad! You're not! You think you're the only one that remembers them? I was nine when it happened! I can still remember them, and you're nothing like Dad, or Mom. Oooh, good only Benny, Ben knows best. What-the-fuck-ever."<br>A few women gasped outside.  
>"You're not Dad, Ben. As much as you try you're not him! So stop trying to be him, 'cause you're not! You're my brother, sure, you're the oldest, but that doesn't give you the right to treat me like a child! We're siblings, we're supposed to be there for each other, and not judge each other when we do something shitty. You're not a parent, you're certainly not mine, or Robert's or JoJo's. And until you realise that, you stay the hell away from me."<br>The tent flap opened right after that, everyone averted the gazes and tried to act as if they didn't hear anything.  
>Lacey stomped over to the pit and took Honey, sending a fierce glare toward Daryl, "Thanks a lot." she spat and made her way toward the other Black tent. Loyal as ever, Blondie followed, and Lacey quickly zipped up the flap behind them.<p>

"Nice job, asshole." JoJo spoke, looking at Daryl before glancing around at the quiet, awkward camp. If there was ever a good way to make a first impression in the post apocalyptic world, that certainly was the opposite of it.


	2. 1 point 5

Over a month we've been hiding from _them_. Never staying in one place for more than 24 hours. My brothers and I are surviving. Benjamin Duncan Black, he's the oldest, 4 years older than me, Robert Alan Black, second oldest, he's only one year older than me, for a while we were called the twins, but as we started growing up, we looked less and less alike, Joseph Gavin Black, commonly known as JoJo, the baby of the family, he's 6 years younger than me, though Robbie and I are closer in age, JoJo and I have always been closer relationship wise. I've been his protector since...his birth, practically. And when the crash happened, that's when I took full responsibility of him. I'm Lacey James Black, the only girl, and the only one to inheirt our mother's ash blonde hair. It wasn't a color I liked, but it belonged to me so I accepted it, my brothers took after our father. Tall, big and dark haired, except for JoJo, he was skinnier than Robbie and Ben, very lean and boney, consequently why I needed to protect him. He was an easy target, small, skinny and nerdy. But anyway, back to the crash, it happened in '92, I was 9, and with simple math you can figure out the other's ages. It happened in New York, that's where we're from. Thankfully we were never split up, though we moved from foster home to foster home, progressively moving south with each move. We ended up in Lilburn, Georgia when Ben turned 18 and decided to claim ownership over me, Robert and JoJo. We had government help for a while until he found a steady job and a house enough for four in Kings County, a small town near Lilburn where we could afford to live. Robert and I found work where we could while finishing high school and when I entered college, I finally realised that this was home, it didn't feel like it, no place would ever feel like home to me again, though I had a deep yearning to go back to New York. I knew my parents weren't there, I still just wanted to be there, in the big city...but Georgia would have to do for now. It was also in college where I met Lori Ackerman, eventually to be known as Lori Grimes, wife of Rick Grimes and mother of Carl Grimes.  
>They were our best friends, living just a mile away from where we did, Rick and his best friend, Shane, had become firm friends with Ben, while Lori befriended Robbie and I, calling on us whenever she needed someone to go out with or a babysitter. JoJo never made a connection with the Grimes family until Carl was about 5, the young boy saw Jo as someone to look up to, someone younger (and more fun) than Rob and I who <em>'always <em>worried about his _health_ and _safety'_, according to Carl. The Grimes family was small, just like the Black family, though they connected like extended family, like long lost cousins, or even sisters and brothers.  
>At the end of the world, you find out who your true family is. Who you care for and who you'd die for. At the end, everyone is tested, allegiances are questioned and you need to protect yourself and the ones you love from the bad people... even if they're not the walking dead.<p>

_-L.B_


	3. 2

**A.N: Here's another chapter, just to perhaps gain some more interest :)**

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><p><em>Worst Post Apocalyptic First Impression- Take 2<em>

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><p>The 'celebration' was still awkward, though everyone had loosened up a bit. Lacey exited her tent to come and sit with Lori, Amy and Andrea. JoJo sat close by, but still kept his distance, knowing exactly how his sister was after she'd have a fight with any one of them. Robert sat next to him, who was near Glenn and Dale, while Ben sat next to Shane, the only person who was giving him the time of day. Everyone else seemed too embarrassed to even look at him, let alone speak to him.<p>

But casual chatting came around the circle, and just before everyone was getting close to finished Lacey stood up, passing her food off to JoJo before she made her way to her tent, 'her mother senses tingling', Lori had joked.

The night flickered out soon after Lacey's departure, everyone cleaned up and went to their respectable sleeping places, and someone took on first watch for the night.  
>Lacey lay on her cot, absentmindedly stroking her fingers through Honey's hair. She chuckled quietly, "Honey...you're the only one I can turn to...suppose it'll always be that way...me being there for you...you for me..." she bit back a laugh building in her throat, "I'm in love with you and I've only known you for a month." she snickered quietly.<br>There was a throat clearing sound outside the tent, but of whose tent she wasn't sure, until the sound and look of tapping came to the tent flap.  
>"Come in." she called, half expecting Ben coming to apologise, but he was stubborn, it'd probably be 2 or 3 more days before he cracked, the other half expected JoJo or Robbie, or even Lori, but it was none of her brothers or her friend, it was that redneck prick that spilled her secret all over the ground and rubbed her face in it.<p>

"Hey." he greeted as he moved the flap and stepped in.  
>"Hey," Lacey refrained from raising her voice or grinding her teeth, fighting very hard to remain cordial, "can I help you with something?" she paused, unable to keep the bitch at bay, "Perhaps another embarrassing story from my past you'd like to bring up? Maybe a jab at my lack of parental guidance?"<br>The hick chuckled softly, noticing the baby sleeping next to Lacey, his eyes seeming to be glued to the baby girl for a few moments before he answered, Lacey took note of this, "No...I umm. I wanted to say...uhh, sorry..." Lacey tilted her head to the side in wonder, this guy definitely seemed to the type to never say sorry and never be sorry for anything he did. Rough and tumble. Chew tobacco. Get in a bar fight. Maybe slap his girlfriend around kind of guy. The last thing she expected out of him was an apology.  
>"I got an older brother, he puts me down sometimes, and uhh... feels kinda shitty." he paused, looking to Lacey for some sort of reaction, any reaction. This was a rare occurance for him, in fact, he'd never apologised to someone before, but something about the way he heard her brother yelling at her earlier really struck something in him...probably 'cause it was his fault that fight was started.<p>

She nodded, "Yeah..." A silence filled the air, the crickets chirping outside filling the quiet void. She noticed Daryl's eyes falling on Honey again, she cleared her throat non chalantly and he snapped his gaze back up to her, he cleared his throat awkwardly too before speaking again, "I knew I knew you from somewhere though." he grinned smally, from the lantern light in the tent she wasn't sure, but she could've sworn she saw a change of color in his cheeks.  
>Lacey scoffed a laugh, "Yeah, and it just had to be the place that I never told my family about."<br>A silence again, "That your kid? Couldn't be...last time I saw you was less than a year ago..."  
>Lacey rolled her eyes at his observations. Leave it to a man to remember what your naked body looked like more than 6 months ago.<br>"No. Found her. Her mom passed just after we reached her. Didn't give a name or an age. Just a bag full of baby food and formula. Kept calling her honey when she whined, the name just stuck."  
>He nodded and looked around the tent awkwardly, "Well...I've got second watch soon. Just wanted to you know...tell you... <em>that<em>... ease the tension maybe..."  
>"Well done." Lacey nodded with a smirk, "though I noticed you haven't looked me in the eyes the entire night, even now...But I guess it would be hard to make eye contact with someone you've seen completely nude..." she trailed off, letting that snarky bitch get the best of her.<br>Daryl coughed a laugh, "Right. Thanks for reminding me, it's gonna be a long night." and with that he left the tent, his wit almost besting hers. Almost.  
>Lacey smiled to herself before turning off the lantern next to her head and cuddling closer to Honey.<p>

2 days went by and Ben finally lost his nerve. He approached Lacey just before she was about to head to the quarry, keeping Robert busy with babysitting duty, while she did some much needed laundry.  
>"Alright. I stepped out of line. I'll try to less like a dad to you guys, and more like a brother...I'm still the oldest though, I'm allowed to be protective."<br>Lacey rolled her eyes, "Yeah, and try to be less of a dick while you're at it." she smirked smally with the basket of clothes at her hip.  
>Ben glared before a smile broke across his face, he ruffled her hair and pushed her away, "Be careful down there. JoJo and I are going scouting for some berries."<br>"_Ooooh_, men's work." Lacey grinned and skipped out of Ben's reach before he could playfully jab her in the ribs.  
>Nearly two hours Lacey spent washing and rinsing and laying their clothes out on rocks to dry, all while keeping her guard up in case any walkers came by. She had two knives on her, a dangerously sharp pocket knife Ben had given her when she was 17, and a trench knife from their great grandfather during his time in WWI, it was old, but it sure as hell still worked.<p>

"Hey, lady."  
>Lacey turned away from her scrubbing to see JoJo. "Hey," she turned back, "find some berries with Big Ol' Benny?"<br>"Yeah. I'm just hoping they won't give anyone a serious case of mud butt."  
>Lacey scoffed, but a smile instantly came to her face, "Jo, you are <em>so <em>gross sometimes."  
>"Made you smile though." he grinned as he took a seat next to her and wrung some of their clothes dry. "You've been down here for most of the day, have you even noticed it's almost sunset?" JoJo noted.<br>Lacey looked up, the sky was taking on an orangey-red color, "Well, I'm only one woman. And you guys have filthy clothes." she shrugged. "Blame it on the men." JoJo poked her shoulder.  
>"So, I saw that Dixon guy go into your tent the first night we got here, by the way," he swerved from the subject for a moment, "is it cool if I sleep in your tent again? 'Cause seriously, Ben and Robbie, I wonder how they ever had girlfriends, they kick <strong>so <strong>hard in their sleep."  
>Lacey nodded with a chuckle, "Yeah. You could've whenever you wanted, I wasn't mad at you, I was mad at Ben."<br>"Right..." JoJo smirked, "Anyway, I saw Dixon go into your tent? What happened?"  
>"Ooh, nothing," Lacey mummbled, smirking inwardly that even her youngest brother, the one she defended most of his life, was protective of her, even during these times, just from a hillbilly with a crossbow. "He just apologised for bringing that secret up, and causing Ben to freak out on me."<br>JoJo pulled a shocked face, "Really? That guy? I bumped into him on the way down here and he said, 'watch where you're goin' pretty boy'."  
>She laughed out loud, "Maybe he likes you, he did call you 'pretty' after all."<br>"Ugh! Whatever! I'm not interested in that kind of blonde."  
>Lacey sat up and looked at her brother, she peered at him through squinted eyes, as if she were an architect examining a ancient artifact she'd just dug up, "It's Amy, isn't it?" she asked slowly after a few moments.<br>"God!" JoJo threw his hands up as he sprung to his feet, "How can you always figure it out!"  
>Lacey chuckled, "You're the youngest, I've had time to study you. Most of the time I can read Robbie too, Ben, not so much, but you, everytime."<br>"Ugh." JoJo groaned again, "You're weird sister powers freak me out sometimes."  
>She smiled and piled the clothes one on top of the other into the basket. "Yeah? Well, help your weird sister out, these are alot heavier when they're wet." she hefted the basket onto her hip and gestured to a pile of clothes still set on a rock.<br>"You won't tell anyone, right?" Jo asked as they ventured back up the hill to camp, it was a 10 minute walk, at least.  
>"JoJo, it's the end of the world. We're the survivors, what does it even matter?" she asked with a laugh, but when she caught his serious gaze she rolled her eyes, "Fine, I won't tell anyone..." A few moments passed by quietly, their shoes crunched against the dirt, "But it's not like anyone will judge you. You seem about the same age, she's pretty, you're pretty, according to Daryl, at least. Why don't you get to know her? I mean, that old saying 'there's plenty of fish in the sea' is sorta out the window now, ya know?"<br>JoJo bursted into laughter, "You know just what to say."

The younger of the Black's chatted until they finally reached camp, though when they got there, it was much less pleasant than they thought it would be.

"Listen pal, why don't you just leave her alone. She isn't bothering anyone." that was Robbie's voice they heard. They quickened their pace and found camp awkwardly quiet again, aside from Robbie, who was holding Honey, and a hefty, tall yokel with a hunting rifle in his grasp.  
>Lacey dropped the laundrey basket next to the fire pit, resting her hands on her hips as she stood next to Lori, JoJo following her actions.<br>"Merle Dixon." Lori sighed with a shake of her head when she noticed Lacey's presence next to her. Her brow was set in furrowed irritation as she nodded, stepping up next to Robert.  
>"There a problem here?" she asked, her hands still on her hips, though she was small, she still gave off that 'don't mess with me vibe', a vibe that clearly went missed by the older Dixon brother. Lacey noticed Daryl standing back near their truck, an expression that almost looked... ashamed or embarrassed, she couldn't quite tell from the distance, but she looked back to Merle, her blood boiling already at the sight of him.<p>

"That baby cries, she's dyin'. Her wails'll bring hoards of 'em here, and I ain't dyin' for no damn baby." Merle stated as he aimed his gun at Honey, Robbie shifted, protectively moving his body to cover hers, even though everyone knew Merle wouldn't risk taking a shot. Merle hadn't been witness to the Black family temper a few days ago, he wasn't aware of how fiery Lacey could get with her words, but less knew about how pissed she'd get for her to resort to physical violence. Lori had seen Lacey in a few fights back in college, but even then it was against skimpy women who were at least 3 times smaller than the elder Dixon. All stared in awe as Lacey reeled back her fist, and almost as if in slow motion, her hand flew toward him.

A moment later a white hot pain entered the older Dixon brother's face, temporarily blinding his vision with stars, the strap of his gun fell from his shoulder and a boot met his stomach with a heavy kick.

The thick, tough, hick fell on his ass, and knocked his head against the ground from the impact, when he tried to scramble back to his feet, a weight fell onto his chest, and as his vision cleared he saw Lacey, his rifle in her hands, aiming right at his throat. Her boot dug heavily into his chest as he looked up at her, shocked, just like everyone else, that someone so _small_ and _**female**_could knock him on his ass.

He tried to take a swipe at the barrel but she just shoved in into the skin of his neck, cutting off his air as she breathed in short bursts through her nose, trying her hardest not to scream.

"If you so much as even look at my girl, I will not hesistate to shoot you dead..." she spoke quietly, the crowd around them could just barely pick up a few words, "Now, we can be civil about this. Start over and get on the right track with each other...what do you say, mister?"

Merle was starting to turn purple from lack of oxygen but with his remaining control over his body he nodded.

Lacey pulled the gun away and removed her boot from his chest, with a gasp of breath he looked around before looking back to her, her hand outstretched down to him.

He took her hand, not really needing her help, but worried about what would happen if he refused, she still had his gun after all.

With his hand still in hers she gave it a shake after he stood up right, "Lacey Black. That baby over there's my girl, Honey."

"Merle Dixon." he nodded, Lacey returned the nod and handed the man back his gun.

An eerie, awkward quiet filled the air, aside from the cracks and snaps from the fire pit, the sky was turning purple, and dinner was ready.

Shane cleared his throat, "Alright. Now that everyone's acquainted and supper's up, why don't we eat, then get some rest, and Dale'll start first watch."

Merle turned away from the Black family and started for his only family, Daryl, who's eyes had yet to move from Lacey. She looked around the camp, everyones gazes lingered on her or Merle before they moved on to get a seat around the fire. She caught Daryl's eyes, expecting to see hatred or anger or anything, but from what she could see, there was a small smirk on his lips until Merle finally reached him.  
>The smile fell from his lips as Merle spoke to him, but the instant his brother walked away, there it was again, small, barely noticeable, but Lacey saw it.<br>A small whine behind her made her turn, Robert had Honey in his arms, she was reaching toward Lacey with small chubby hands.  
>"Someone's hungry and looking for love from the toughest Black girl there ever was." Robbie smiled.<br>"I think just toughest Black will work." Lacey stuck her tongue out at her brother before taking Honey into her arms and going into her tent to retrieve some formula before taking a seat around the fire.


	4. 2 point 5

I used to be normal, but that was a hell of a long time ago. So long ago that I can barely remember... Sometimes I wonder if my brain even _wants_ me to remember.  
>I used to play with dolls and dress up, love the color pink, and dream of marrying a prince (Disney movies, what can I say?). But once our favorite people in the world were gone, we all underwent a change.<br>I stopped dreaming of having everything at my fingertips, I stopped believing it was all a dream and I would just wake up and Mom and Dad would be there. They were gone, and we were alone.  
>I think it was when I started junior high that I started defending myself, 'cause that's when kids started getting mean. It wasn't nice, gentle, elementary school anymore, this is where you fell into cliques, popular and unpopular. I teetered on the dividing line for a while, until some popular kids decided it would be fun to pick on the foster care kids. It was just before Christmas break in 6th grade when I socked a kid in the face, got scratched and bit and pulled a chunk of hair from a particularly ritzy, tall girl who called me 'poor and ugly'. I got in trouble, suspended from school for a few days, it wasn't a shock, the whole student body was witness. But that's the day I became the fighter of the family, the one who wasn't afraid to get violent if the situation called for it.<br>My role as protector only grew greater when the dead rising epidemic started. I'm the sort of person who will walk ahead of the group, volunteer to go first, and sacrifice myself if needed for the safety of others, the others that matter to me, of course.  
>I would never be the princess I always wanted to be. There was no prince, there was no castle, no knights or fairy godmothers. I would never see the world through the eyes of my childhood self again. It was fight or be beaten. But now it was kill or be killed, by the dead, and sometimes the living.<br>I'll do what ever it takes to protect those I care for.

-_L.B_


	5. 3

**A/N: woah...that's alot of views. AND thank you for the one review, it was pleasant and made me feel all fuzzy inside :)**

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><p><em>Post Apocalypse Friend Maker Extraordinaire<em>

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><p>Days went on and the newest survivors of the Atlanta camp found their places in the group. Ben stuck close to Shane, becoming his right hand man and second in command of the camp, a position Lacey and Robert knew would be a bad idea for Ben to take, Benjamin-Knows-Best wasn't always the best way. Lacey and Robert stayed around Lori, of course, they were best friends and knew her well, they stuck to what they knew. Though Lacey befriended the other women of the camp, enjoying Carol and Sophia's company whenever Ed wasn't around. Lacey studied Ed, knowing exactly the kind of man he was from the marks she'd seen on Carol. She'd encountered a few men like him before, all had recieved the same treatment as Merle Dixon... though maybe a little less violent. She had a gut feeling that man was going to pick a fight with her at some point, the way he looked at her while he smoking his cigarettes, there was something brewing in his mind...<p>

Speaking of Merle Dixon, a day or two after punch in the face and the formal introductions, Lacey offered to reset his nose, knowing by the way her knuckles stung and the crack that came from his face that she had indeed broke it. He claimed he was fine, the bruising around his eyes didn't bother him and the constant whistling coming from his nose was normal, Lacey assured him she'd seen many cases at the hospital where she helped reset bones, telling him she was a professional didn't seem to put him at ease though. He refused and refused, but she felt bad for socking him so hard that she might cause a deformity on his face for the rest of his life and before he could even register her movement she took his face into her hands and put it back to normal, though it hardly looked any different from when it was messed up, she felt better. He grumbled after she stepped away, mummbling what she thought was a 'thank you', but she'd never know for sure. Merle constantly always on a hunt with his brother in an effort to avoid Lacey and the rest of the camp. Though when they did cross paths it usually invovled a friendly greeting then a hasty retreat, leaving Lacey rolling her eyes, she really wanted to be on better terms with the guy, she'd even fixed his nose...though she was the one to break it in the first place, but he shouldn't have threatened her girl, either way he just wouldn't have it, leaving her to see that younger Dixon smirking like a fool.

It was week 2 for the Black's when Merle went on a hunt by himself, claiming he'd be back in a day or two, leaving Daryl among the camp that still hadn't taken a liking to him and his brother...especially his brother.

A thud of a basket hitting the ground didn't bother Daryl, he just continued staring into the forest, aware of the presence near him, while he cleaned his arrows with that red rag of his.  
>"Hey there." her voice spoke casually, he looked over his shoulder and gave her a nod, "Where you been?" he asked, only to make conversation, he knew full well where she'd been, she was down at the quarry, doing laundry with the other women, the evidence was in her hands, she was hanging clothes to dry on a line. But just as the words fell from his mouth he wondered why he had even said them, he and Merle kept to themselves mostly, they weren't interested in friendship or creating a relationship with the other survivors. It was just him and Merle, that's how it always was and that's how it always would be... but he felt compelled to talk to this girl... Why?<br>Daryl wasn't a ladies man, that was for sure, Merle kept him under his thumb, protecting him and teaching him everything he knew since birth, but there were never any lessons on how to approach a woman, or how to talk to woman properly. He'd seen the way his father treated women, and he'd witnessed Merle bring home women on many occassions, all women he paid the morning after. To put it simply, he didn't have any example to go off of. He wasn't a man who was sure of himself around the opposite sex, the confidence and sarcasm just seemed to slip right out of him when a particularly attractive woman gave him the slightest bit of attention, leaving him stunned andndefenseless. But Lacey was pretty, he'd seen a fairly good amount of all the pretty parts of Lacey too. He'd catch himself staring, he wouldn't lie, he even had a dream about her the past week but-...that's a little too personal to share.  
>But she was different, from what he'd heard her saying to Carol and the other women, she and her brothers came from New York, then their parents died in a car crash and through foster homes they ended up in Georgia. Lacey was a city girl, born and raised, he expected a lot more whining from her since learning that. He knew city folk, they liked the country but they'd never be able to live in it. And he sure as hell knew they couldn't stand the wilderness. But Lacey seemed fine, she, her brothers and that baby, acted like they lived in the forest normally. The Black family were a peculiar bunch, but it was Lacey that had grabbed his attention most of all. Why was she so easy to talk to? And why did her damn baby claim all his concern?<p>

"Women's work." she said with a grin, "See you're not doing much." she nodded to the rag in his hand, he'd be cleaning he same arrow for almost ten minutes now.  
>"Merle went out for a hunt. Said I'd slow him down." he shrugged. Though Merle cared most of all for his baby brother, he sure knew how to put him down with the smallest of sentences.<br>"Ahh." Lacey nodded in understanding, hoping he wouldn't catch the small frown forming on her lips, she noticed the hurt from his brothers rejection, but she knew he'd just get upset if she openly noted it. Men didn't have feelings, men showed no emotion, that's how they're taught since the moment they made the shift from babies to toddlers. Never cry, never be sad... apparently other emotions were perfectly fine to show, like anger, happiness and jealousy. Men were a mystery sometimes. Some easy to read, others like reading a foreign language. At least that's how it seemed to Lacey. Daryl seemed like a mix of an open book and a mystery...a mystery book. She smirked smally at her own thought, Daryl Dixon, a mystery book, 'Aha!' moments and confusion throughout, but there was no skipping to the end.

"So, uhh, where's that kid a'yours?" he internally winced, that damn baby, why did he care?  
>"Why do you wanna know?" Lacey wondered, just trying to push his buttons, hoping he'd open up a little more beyond friendly banter, skip a few chapters of this mystery. Get past the badass exterior and into the loving, caring center...if there was one.<br>He sat up straighter, almost as if he'd be caught in the middle of some foul act, but he just shrugged a moment later, "I dunno. She's a baby. Shouldn't be left alone...ya know..."  
>"Uhh huh." Lacey smirked behind a shirt before laying it on the line, "She's down at the quarry still, with Lori. She's in good hands, rest assured." she joked, but it was lost on him.<br>"Huh." was his response, before all went quiet.  
>A few long moments passed with nothing but Daryl staring into the forest, chewing on his thumb nail and Lacey getting to the bottom of the basket.<br>She let out a heavy sigh before pulling the basket to her hip and starting for the trail to the quarry. "Better get another load."  
>It was the little things like saying 'load', referring to a load of laundry, with the use of a washing machine, dryer, detergent and fabric softner that made her realise where she was again, what happened and why she was doing this. The realisation nearly made her feel sick, and her feet stumble, every time, like a new shock to the system again and again. They weren't camping, they were surviving. This wasn't for fun... it was for their lives.<br>She shook her head, trying to free her mind from negative thoughts, trying to calm down her accelerated heart rate and continue on.

"No one's ever knocked Merle on his ugly ass before." Daryl spoke, and she stopped.  
>Turning she smiled smally, "Really?...Uhh...I'll take that as a compliment." she assumed that would be it, Daryl being not much of talker, obviously, but he surprised her by speaking again.<br>"I dunno who to be more scared of now." but with a grin on his lips she knew he was joking, and she chuckled, "You've got nothing to worry about, as long as you don't piss me off."  
>"I won't, I promise you that, girl." he smirked, but then sat forward, "Everyone's afraid of you, ya know? In the camp."<br>Lacey's stomach dropped at his information. They were scared of her? She was 130 pound, well, maybe less since the end of the world happened, 5 foot 4 inch tall girl, she doubted she posed a threat to anyone just by the looks of her. But she guessed since her display of anger and fight the first few days they were in camp, she did seem sort of _scary._ Scary didn't seem right though...walkers were scary...terrifying. She wasn't scary...she...was...?  
>...Intimidating.<br>"They're scared, but they're glad you're here. You're tough. Tougher than all the women in this camp, probably. They know you can protect 'em. Like you protect that baby a'yours, right?"  
>Lacey nodded, "Yeah." She felt slightly better knowing she was the...warrior goddess of sorts to these people, instead of the bogeyman she at first assumed they thought she was.<br>"You good with a gun?"  
>She laughed out loud and shook her head, "Terrible. I'm a horrible shot. The best I did at the range was with a shot gun. I took some fencing lessons once, so if I ever encounter a pirate or something I'll be perfectly fine."<br>He snorted under his breath, Lacey mentally patted herself on the back for actually getting somewhat of a chuckle out of him.  
>"Don't see no sword with ya." he noted with a raised brow. She dropped the basket and reached into her right boot. Her boots were worn and filthy, mid calf, black, Dr Marten's she'd bought on her 18th birthday, they were old, but they were perfect given the situation. She pulled out her trench knife, and took the other smaller knife from her pocket.<br>"Knives involve close encounters."  
>She shrugged, "I enjoy a close encounter or two." she smirked.<br>Daryl bit on his bottom lip when she threw a wink his way and tucked the knife back into boot and the other back into her pocket.  
>"Had to use 'em yet?" he wondered as she picked up the basket again.<br>She nodded, "A few times, when Ben didn't get the headshot." she turned and started into the trees toward the path, "We can finish 20 questions later. Unlike _some_ people, I've got work to do." she tossed over her shoulder with a laugh. Her silly demeanor vanished the moment she reached the dirt path leading to the quarry, she wondered why that Dixon brother complimented her and asked about her baby. Asking around and from experience she knew the Dixon brothers to be harsh, rude, tough men, who didn't give a damn what anyone thought or did as long as it didn't involve their own survival.  
>"You should be glad he isn't being mean to you, and who knows, maybe he's got a soft spot for babies..." Andrea suggested with a shrug.<br>She nodded to herself, "Soft spot for babies..."  
>If ever there was a theory to be tested, Lacey was there to be the director and volunteer for the experiment. Her curious hypothesis testing alter ego almost always got her in trouble, especially when it came to just her and JoJo being bored at home.<p>

"Hey, Daryl!" Lacey called, it was still barren in the camp, save for Dale on the roof on the RV, but he was too busy looking through his binoculars to know what was going on a few feet below.  
>Daryl turned to see Lacey, he'd just put his crossbow and arrows away to see her walking into camp, but instead of the basket from before she was carrying Honey.<br>"Could you hold her for a sec, I gotta get her something to eat."  
>"I don't, uhh..." he stammered, but Lacey had already passed the girl into his arms and moved right along to her tent, "Thanks." she called before disappearing into it.<br>Daryl looked at the retreating figure of the girl, sighing a growl before looking around, hoping no one would see him this way. Holding a _baby_ for God's sake. Babies were foreign to Daryl, and honestly, they scared him. They were so fragile and he had absolutely no idea how to take care of one. His best knowledge of caring for a baby: make sure it doesn't cry.  
>No one was around, everyone was off doing something except him and he had been kind of bored, but to have responsibility over a baby was not what he had in mind to cure his bordem.<p>

He looked down at the girl, who stared right back up at him with dark chocolate colored eyes. Confusion in her chubby faced expression of who this new person was, and wonder, this was a different man from Robbie, JoJo or Ben, this man had dark blonde hair and blue eyes, she was studying him.  
>Her eyes seemed to make him uncomfortable, but only for a moment, after a second or two of her inquistive stare he felt the corners of his mouth turn up.<br>The look on her face, it wasn't an expression he'd seen on any baby before. Hell, he'd never even held a baby before this, but he knew, the furrowed brow on a 6 something month old was too hilarious.

"What?" he asked, "Somethin' on ma'face?"  
>He reached up with a vacant hand to wipe away at his dirt and sweated covered face, a moment later Honey reached up and mimicked his actions, touching her small hand to his stubbly, filthy cheek. It wasn't anything he'd felt before, it was... different, and somehow made his heart skip.<br>She wiped away some dirt before giving a smile, her teeth were still coming in so one couldn't call it a toothy grin.  
>Daryl chuckled, this little girl was smart. She reached her hand up again, to the opposite cheek this time, wiping away the dirt like it was a game, and Daryl obliged, tilting his head down for her to reach his forehead, wiggling his nose when she caught it in her small grasp.<br>A giggle, a full blown, actual giggle, erupted from Honey and Lacey smothered her grin behind her hand as she finally decided to stop spying and walked out with a fresh bottle of formula.  
>"Huh," she took Honey from Daryl and passed the girl the bottle, "never heard her laugh before. You must be some kind of comedian."<br>Daryl shrugged, hoping Honey hadn't wiped off too much dirt, so the heat filling his cheeks would go unseen.  
>"I think she likes you." Lacey smiled, noticing Honey guzzling down her formula, all while keeping her baby gaze on Daryl.<br>"Ain't ever entertained a baby before...never held a baby before." he mummbled quietly.  
>Lacey smirked inwardly, there's that soft spot. Theory Testing Lacey prevails once again.<br>"You wanna hold her some more?" she asked, thinking if he had a soft spot for Honey, maybe he'd open up a little more, talk a little more and maybe become someone she could call a friend.  
>Daryl shrugged before extending his arms out and instead of holding her upright he cradled her in his arms, her eyes still staring up at him, hoping not to miss a single second of him.<br>"Clearly she's got eyes for you." Lacey laughed, brushing that almost white blonde hair away from Honey's forehead.  
>"Yeah," he chuckled awkwardly, "guess so."<p>

Merle had returned, as promised and as expected, along with a few squirrels and a deer as his catch.  
>Lacey, taking her chance to get on the older Dixon's good side stoodd next to him and Daryl by the firepit, they were skinning tonight's dinner.<br>"Need any help?"  
>Merle glanced at his brother before looking up to Lacey, "No offense, hunny, but you don't look like you could handle this kind of work."<br>"I worked along side butchers at a deli, I think I can handle it." she shrugged. She hadn't worked at that deli in over 3 years, and for a while after she was so sick of the sight of meat that she was a vegetarian, only recently had she taken to eating chicken again.  
>Merle glanced, again, to his brother before shrugging, and creating a some room next to him for her to take a seat.<br>Lacey stepped forward to take the offered room to sit, and glanced down at their work, and swallowed loudly, "Actually, maybe you're right." she stopped herself before she sat down, taking a good two steps away while she winced, "That is _pretty_ gross."  
>The men chuckled.<br>"Well, maybe I could be of some entertainment. I've got lots of stories."  
>"Yeah, she's <em>real<em> good at entertainin', Merle." Daryl smirked, the days before Merle's return Lacey had been right, Honey brought Daryl right out of his protective shell. She and Daryl had been chatting like they old friends from high school, joking with each other. It was starting to become a rare occurance when they weren't seen together. But once Merle stomped back into camp, Daryl seemed to scurry back into his shell. Everyone who had noticed the change in the younger Dixon didn't openly note it, fearing the consequences that might come from it.

Lacey glared, but just rolled her eyes, it was the end of the world. Everyone who knew were survivors in this new world, and as far as she knew no one judged her for it, and even if they did, it didn't really matter anymore. So why not let someone else in on the less than secret secret, in fact, the person that had brought Daryl to the place of his vivid memory of Lacey.  
>"What's that mean?" Merle grumbled, raising a brow at his brother, probably more to the fact that he was smirking at the blonde girl before them. Merle knew his brother well, just like Lacey knew JoJo well, and he knew that Daryl was a chicken around women, especially pretty women. So of course he felt a little more than confused at the sight of his brother having what appeared to be an inside joke with one of the prettiest girls in the camp.<br>"Come on, man. You tellin' me you can't remember her?" Daryl smirked, nodding to Lacey before looking back to his brother, that grin still on his face.  
>Merle looked at Lacey, up and down, and then stared at her face for few long seconds.<br>"No. Can't say I remember."  
>Daryl's smirk widened, he gestured with his hand, "Give us a twirl, girly." Lacey kept her mouth in a line as she spun on her toes once. She was used to Daryl's nicknames by now; girl, girly, darlin', sugar, babe. She actually found herself enjoying it when he called her like that.<br>Merle hummed, as if slowly remembering but still not being able to place it.  
>"Someone you brought back to the house?" he wondered, but could barely finish the question without snorting and laughing. Daryl rolled his eyes and shook his head, but sent a wink toward Lacey.<br>"Someone _I_ brought back to the house?" Merle offered.  
>Lacey snorted a rather loud laugh, "You couldn't afford it." she joked, Merle sent a glare her way, but a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips when she gave him unapologetic grin.<br>"My last birthday. That right there, is that little martini glass girl."  
>After a few long moments of quiet thought Merle's eyes widened, taking in the sight of Lacey again.<br>"Holy shit! That is her. Differ'nt seein' you with clothes on." He laughed.  
>From then on Lacey was on better terms with Merle Dixon, <em>'the meanest sumbitch of the Atlanta survivor camp'<em>,though he did know where the line was, seeing as he crossed it the first time he'd met her, and he sure as hell wasn't gonna step a single toe on that line ever again.

For the rest of the night Lacey sat with those boys, telling stories, joking and laughing while the did what they did best and she did _her_ best in trying to not throw up.

"Ya know sumthin'," Merle started, a chuckle already in his tone, "your name sounds like you're describin' your own underwear," he pointed his bloody hand at Lacey. She rose her brow, and he continued.  
>"Lacey. Black." Merle said slowly, and the two beside him looked up in thought, before bursting into laughter.<br>"And here I was thinking my name sounded classy." she laughed.  
>"It kinda sounds pornstar-y." Merle noted.<br>"You would know, wouldn't ya." Daryl laughed, and dodged a flying hand from his brother, but recieved a smack on the back of his head anyway.  
>"Lace!" a voice called from behind them, they each looked over their shoulder, concerned by the frantic tone in the voice.<br>"Lace, listen to this!" Robert ran over with Honey in his arms, "Go ahead," he urged the little girl, but the girl just looked at him in a confused manner. He sighed and then pointed to Lacey, "Who's that?" he asked, that baby talk tone still in his voice. Honey followed his finger and her eyes locked onto Lacey.  
>"Ma!" she cried happily with a little wiggle.<br>Lacey's jaw dropped, and she put a hand over her mouth.  
>"Who's that?" Rob asked again.<br>"Ma! Ma!" Honey stated, grinning with her small amount of teeth.  
>"Her first word." Lacey's voice nearly disappeared as she stood up and took the girl into her arms.<br>"And just so you know she messed herself the moment she performed that heartwarming achievement." Robert noted casually.  
>The Dixon's behind her laughed.<br>"Thank you, Robbie, you've been most helpful in the moment of gaiety. Now beat it before I strangle you for almost ruining it." she grumbled, and Robert gave her a mock salute before scurrying away.  
>"See you guys at dinner." Lacey smiled and started off toward her tent.<br>"'Ey, Lacey." Merle's gruff voice called, and she turned on her heel, "You're alright. You and your girl."  
>Lacey fought the giant grin that tried to take over her entire face and nodded, "You're not too bad yourself, Merle." and with that she walked toward her tent, that smile unable to remain contained exploded on her face.<p>

Lacey J. Black, post apocalypse friend maker extraordinaire.


	6. 3 point 5

Fighter, weird, friendly, psycho, lovable, ridiculous, nice, outrageous.  
>I've heard myself described with those words more than I can remember, but it's always those words. And I suppose they're right, I am all of those things, somehow all those personalities seemed to fit inside little old me. But I've never been called 'scary' or had someone be 'scared of me'. I mean, really... I'm goofy (Oh, there's another one). With every person I met, there's a different reaction.<br>When Lori first met me she was a little heartbroken, seeing me getting lost on campus, while at the same time waving off some guy trying to get my number so we could 'study' together. Lori knew the guy was a creeper and came to my rescue, she pretended like we were best friends saying, 'Oh, there you are! You can never find your way, can you? I told you a hundred times, it's this way.' She wasn't even attending college that year, she'd stopped by the administrative office to take care of some final details before she dropped out, because of her pregnancy. It was Lori's caring nature that brought us together. Through Lori I met Rick, and through me, Ben found friendship with Rick and Shane. Those two were always trying to convince Ben to become a police officer, claiming he was needed far more behind a badge than in behind the clearance gate of the county courthouse. And Ben was almost convinced, almost, but then _this _started.  
>But anyway, friendly. Friendly is what always seems to be said the most. Robbie says I could make friends with a raging bull if really wanted to. Sometimes he says some weird stuff, hah, seriously, that guy. Friendly and fiery, cold and hot, saint and bitch. I don't even know how I manage to function properly sometimes. But I don't get any complaints from work, at the hospital patients always seem comfortable, never, ever intimidated around me. The older patients are even bold enough to flirt with me, but you know how old men are.<br>And babies, I tried to stay as far away from the maternity ward as much as possible. I don't know why but, it just sort of freaked me out. The only baby I've ever been around is Carl, and I eventually got comfortable enough around him to not be on high alert. But there's something about babies, something about them that triggers the theif and parent in you. They're so cute and small you just want to steal them and when they cry you just want to take care of them and love them forever. It's so weird, 'cause I'm not really a kid person, ya know? But I guess Carl broke that barrier. And Honey... well, she's an entirely different story all together.

-_L.B_

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><p><strong>AN: For**** reference, this is how it'll usually go. A story chapter, and then a first person chapter, in case there was any confusion :D**


	7. NOTE

First off, don't get excited and don't get angry. This is just a note about how I'm changing the title of the story.  
>The other night I couldn't get to sleep, so I put my ear phones in and listened to some music.<br>Then this song that I just recently put on it came on.  
>Mad World.<br>The cover version by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews. And as I listened to the lyrics, my brain pieced some things together and I realised it sort of corresponded with the story.

All around me are familiar faces  
>Worn out places, worn out faces<br>Bright and early for the daily races  
>Going nowhere, going nowhere<p>

{_Familiar faces_, her brothers, the Grimes, Shane. _Worn out places_, the world in general, it's gone to shit, there's no salvation anywhere, and walkers overrun everywhere. _Worn out faces_, the survivors, the stress and fear in them. _Daily races_, running, surviving the walkers. _Going nowhere_, there **is **no where to go.}

Their tears are filling up their glasses  
>No expression, no expression<br>Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow  
>No tomorrow, no tomorrow<p>

{Sort of explains itself. The constant feeling of no hope and no safety, the thought of just ending it yourself seems like a tempting choice.}

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad  
>The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had<br>I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take  
>When people run in circles its a very, very<br>Mad world, mad world

{_The dreams of dying_, they're like an escape, it's the end, it's over, there's finally peace. But then they wake up, and they're brought back into the nightmare world they live in.}

Children waiting for the day they feel good  
>Happy birthday, happy birthday<br>And I feel the way that every child should  
>Sit and listen, sit and listen<p>

{The kids have it worst, they shouldn't have to go through everything they've seen, heard and felt. It'll be a rare time, if ever, when they're actually happy again and not horrified every minute of the day and in their own dreams.}

Went to school and I was very nervous  
>No one knew me, no one knew me<br>Hello teacher tell me, what's my lesson?  
>Look right through me, look right through me<p>

{The Black family moved from foster home to foster home, which also meant going from school to school. They longest they probably stayed in one school was a year. So they were new people everytime they entered a new state and school, they had to toughen their nerves and become strong.}

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad  
>The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had<br>I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take  
>When people run in circles its a very, very<br>Mad world, mad world, enlarging your world  
>Mad world-<p>

And I know there's an **actual** meaning to this song given from Tears for Fears (the original), I'm not that dull. But I listened to it and found my story in it, so I'm changing the title name from 'What the Hell?' (and honestly, I didn't know what the hell to call this story, so 'what the hell' just went in) to 'Mad World'.  
>Because they really do live in a mad world. And I'm happier with this title.<br>So. Hopefully this little note didn't piss anyone off too much. I'll put up a new chapter ooooooon Thursday, or Wednesday, depends on how fast I can edit it.  
>So keep your eyes out for that, and for the title change as well. I'll be changing the title after I put up the next chapter.<br>Thanks for the views and reviews.


	8. 4

**A/N: I just wanted to say thanks to all who've added this story to their alert lists. And thanks for the reviews. This one is where things are starting to progress (**_**finally!)**_**, so enjoy!  
>Also! I'll be changing the <strong>**rating. I've noticed I'm using quite a bit of foul language, and future scenes will need the mature rating. **_**Ooooooh!**_** :D**

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><p><em>Sing Me To Sleep<em>

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><p>Glenn called out to everyone to put a list together for supplies they needed, he was going to go into Atlanta that day.<br>"You're going by yourself?" Lacey stepped forward, so much concern in her voice Glenn might've mistaken her for his own mother.  
>"Yeah. I've done it a couple times. It's fine, I'm quick." Glenn shrugged, but that look in her eyes, he couldn't shrug that off.<br>"But you're by yourself, that just...it sounds awful. I mean, what if something happen-"  
>"Nothing will happen. 'Cause I'll go with him." JoJo cut off his sister in mid word as he stepped up and clapped a hand on the Korean boy's shoulder. Jo had gotten close to Glenn and Amy, Glenn like the best friend he never had and Amy the pretty girl that was actually giving him the time of day.<br>"You?" Glenn raised a questioning brow, they were pals, but he wasn't too sure about the idea.  
>"I'm pretty quick too, it's kinda required when you're someone as skinny and nerdy as I am... easy target." he cleared his throat then nodded to Lacey, "Until your backup shows up, then they start running. It's pretty cool actually. She's like half a foot shorter than me but she's man killer."<br>Lacey rolled her eyes, "I prefer the term '_warrior_', and I don't like the idea. I mean...we've all seen what's in the city. It's packed full of walkers..."  
>"Lace, we need supplies. Glenn's quick, I'm quick. We'll be fine. In and out. 4 hours tops."<br>Glenn looked to young boys older siblings for some sort of help to talk him out of it or agreeance.  
>Ben shrugged, "He is pretty fast. I mean, he can even outrun Robbie."<br>Robert nodded and Lacey sighed, putting her face into her hands, "Just be careful. Both of you."

An hour passed, the truck was gone from the trail and Lacey stood there, her hands clutched her arms even though the weather was well into the upper 90's, she stared, wishing with each blink they would be coming back up that trail again.  
>"They'll be fine."<br>She jumped, expecting any voice except Daryl's, but there he was, standing just a foot behind her.  
>"Glenn always comes back, and with your brother, they'll be able to get more and cover each others backs." he shrugged, his hands in his pockets.<br>Lacey nodded, not fully convinced but still, she had to put on a brave face and think positive.  
>She started toward her tent, all three dogs lounging at the entrance, half their bodies inside, half outside, panting and looking around the camp.<br>"I should get them some water." she mummbled and started for the trail toward the quarry.  
>Blondie jumped up at the sight of Lacey's retreating figure, grabbing an empty gallon jug before she lifted the tin can rope barrier.<br>"Loyal dog." Daryl's voice, it seemed to be following her, and though she liked pulling Daryl further and further out of his shell, right now, she didn't want a friend, she just needed a distraction, a task, something to get her mind off Glenn and Jo, she wanted to be alone. She felt it in her gut, it was one of those rare times, one of the crying times, and she never cried in front of people.

"Yeah." she mummbled, "she's blind in one eye, but she always seems to catch me before I leave her sight."  
>Blondie walked along side Lacey, keeping Daryl at distance as they walked down the hill.<br>He nodded, looking at the dog, she looked his way, and he saw it, her left eye, light blue, nearly white from how cloudy it was, the other, just a plain brown.  
>"Golden Retrievers'a huntin' dog."<br>"Oh yeah? You wanna bring her along with you some time?" Lacey was just being curteous, this conversation was killing her attempt at zen. Though she wasn't even sure if she could find peace, her mind was having a conflicting battle, '_everything's fine_.' vs '_we're all going to die, what's the point_!'  
>"Dunno if she'd ever go with anyone if you weren't there too." Daryl chuckled. Lacey grunted in response, something between a fake laugh and a noise of aggravation. Blondie rarily stayed behind if Lacey went somewhere outside of camp, unless she was ordered otherwise. Lacey noticed all three dogs were very good at taking commands, especially Rocket, but she assumed the dog was in the K9 unit for the police before all this, either that or she had owners who had her put her into doggie military school.<p>

The rest of the walk was quiet, except for Blondie's panting and the crunch of dirt beneath their shoes.  
>Lacey sat down at the edge of the water, looking out beyond it, this would've been a pretty place to discover under different circumstances. The dog lapped at the water, stepping in a few paces to get the less dirty water. She could feel Daryl looking down at her, whether she cared or not (she didn't), he didn't know, but he knew how she felt. Watching your family walk off into the distance, with that 5050 chance of coming back, the constant fear, worrying, and disinterest in anything else until they finally returned safely.

"So what'd you do before this?" Daryl asked out of the blue, his eyes set forward following Lacey's gaze.  
>"Guess." Lacey smirked as Blondie settled into the water, her head just above the water as she sniffed at the air. She knew Daryl was only trying to help get her mind of JoJo and Glenn by now, but still, he was kind of getting on her nerves.<br>"Shit... Uhh..." Daryl took a seat next to Lacey as he hummed in thought, "Nurse?" he guessed a few moments later.  
>Her eyes widened as she laughed, "Holy shit, first guess."<br>"Well, I kinda figured since you said you somethin' about havin' experience resettin' bones. It was nurse or doctor, and you don't seem the doctor type." Daryl chuckled, "Nurse though... that's kinda hot." trying to get a rise out of her, and mistakingly getting a rise out of himself, in a different sense of the phrase.  
>"Scrubs are not hot. Believe me." Lacey laughed.<br>"Whatever, you _know_ how _I'm_ picturin' it."  
>Lacey rolled her eyes, "That was my last job at least. <em>You <em>know the one before that. And before that I was a bartender, and before that a waitress, and before that Tech Support, then I worked in a deli, I was a maid, worked at a hardware store, and my first job was a dishwasher."  
>Daryl looked at her, "Fuck, girl, you been workin' since you were 5 or somethin'?"<br>"15." she smirked, "Oh, and I was in a band for a while. Lots of cover songs. Not a lot of imagination. Didn't pay much, mostly for funsies."  
>"Bass?"<br>"Vocals."  
>"<em>Ooh<em>, little miss_ singer_."  
>"Shut up." Lacey laughed, and nudged his shoulder with hers. "I'm not even that good...It's kind of like...when you mom sang you to sleep when you were little, you thought she had the most beautiful voice ever, but as you grew older it's like... mom doesn't even have a good <em>speaking<em> voice. It's like she just roars all the time, what the hell was I thinking when I was a kid?"  
>Daryl laughed out loud, his voice echoing around the quarry.<p>

For the next couple of hours or so Daryl kept Lacey distracted, and she'd later be very grateful for it. She thought she needed to be alone, but it was Daryl's company that kept her from feeling shitty, about Jo and Glenn, and life in general. They were still talking as they started up toward camp and from higher up the trail JoJo came running toward her shouting, "Still in one piece! So's Glenn! Told you we'd be fine!"  
>But she reflected back to the past hours, Daryl had basically opened up entirely to her, telling his life story to her, just so she wouldn't go crazy from worry. It caught her completely off guard. For weeks she tried to get him to open up, and then the one time she tries to push him away he springs open and everything pours out. She doubted he'd done that for anyone else in camp, seeing how reserved he was, and how mean Merle was, no one knew the real Daryl Dixon. And she wondered, why he'd chosen her to divulge who he really was. Why was she so special to get that kind of treatment from him?<br>Needless to say she didn't dwell on the thought, she was just thrilled to know him best, probably even better than his brother knew him, a new friendship had kindled itself, and over a few short hours grew into a roaring flame, an unspoken understanding, someone else to rely on, someone else to care for.

More often than not Merle Dixon was absent from camp, huntin', huntin' and more huntin'. Lacey was glad to know it wasn't her driving him away anymore, but the rest of the camp. He didn't seem to pick anymore fights, and he even came off as flirty toward Lacey. She wasn't sure if it was malnutrition, something to do with the heat or just plain insanity coming over her, but saw a charm in him, a different kind of charm...a Dixon charm. She was afraid she could be falling for it, but shook off the thought, knowing she knew better than that.  
>Sometimes Merle would allow his little brother to accompany him, but when he didn't, that's when the real Daryl came out, the one that had fallen in love with little 6 month old Honey and was secret BFF's with Lacey.<br>"Gimme that baby girl." he demanded as he entered Lacey's tent noisily, Merle had left the camp less than 10 minutes ago.  
>"No, no. Don't rile her up, Daryl. She needs a nap." she put her hand up to stop him, but he just snorted and grabbed her up from the cot where she and Lacey were laying. "My baby girl doesn't need any nap. She's a wild child. Ain't that right?" he looked to Honey who grinned up at him, before looking back to Lacey who had a stern yet exhausted look on her face.<br>"She wakes up in the middle of the night, _you're_ taking care of her." Lacey grumbled and pulled her pillow over her face in defeat.  
>"'Ey, don't threaten me with a good time." she heard Daryl's muffled response through the pillow, she just rolled her eyes with a groan and listened as Daryl's chattering at Honey and his footsteps eventually faded away and she fell into what would've been Honey's nap.<p>

It was quiet that night around the fire pit, Lacey had woken up to darkness in her tent, but looking through the thin tent wall material she saw the glow of the fire. A yawn left her mouth as she stretched and got up. Pulling on her boots she left the tent and took a seat between Daryl and Robert, recieving quiet greetings from all around the circle, and a 'Ma' from Honey, who was sitting in Robert's lap now. Dinner was small, as expected, but it was just awkwardly quiet. Snaps from the burning wood and crickets were all that made noise. Looking across the pit toward her left she saw JoJo, gaining eye contact with her he mouthed 'Awkwaaaard', to which she smothered a giggle. She noted the way Jo and Amy's chairs were scooted very close together, given they were sharing a blanket, but she knew her brother, she'd studied him well. It wasn't nearly that cold enough for a blanket, and they were sitting in front of a fire for goodness sake. Going through a list of possibilies in her head of what could possibly be going under that blanket that they didn't want others to see that wasn't disgusting or perverse, she narrowed it down to holding hands. They were holding hands under that blanket. She looked at her younger brother, sending him an impressed questioning glance to which he bounced his eye brows twice. She smothered her grin and gave him an approving nod. Clearly the two, Amy and Jo, had connected, and once again Lacey's sisterly advice had won her 'Wingman of...The End of the World', as it seemed. The blonde crossed her legs and looked up at the stars. The stars, she envied them, through all the crap that'd gone down on Earth, the stars never changed, they were threatened by anything, they were safe, away from all the hell that had taken over.

"Wish we had a radio or something." Amy mummbled, her head was rested against JoJo's shoulder now, and around the fire pit some grumbled and some agreed.  
>"We don't need anymore noise attractin' anythin' up here." Shane stated firmly, his hands always present on his gun. Though there was the alert system of the tin cans, and now the added protection from the dogs that came as a bonus with the Black's, Shane never seemed like he had a break, he was always on the edge, always watching, always listening...he needed to relax, if only for 20 minutes, or something.<br>"Yeah, but just like some music, something to make us feel like...I don't know, like not just survivors, but people...normal people again...ya know?" Amy continued, looking to JoJo and Andrea for back up.  
>"Lace sings...another form of entertainment aside from visual." Daryl spoke up, catching everyone off guard at the sound of his voice and the joking tone in it.<br>Lacey nudged him with her elbow, "Shush."  
>"Nah, come on, Lacey. You're good. You'd sing around the house all the time." JoJo smiled an evil smile.<br>"Yeah. Lay one down for us, sis." Robert grinned.  
>Lacey glared at her brothers, the bastards, putting her on the spot like that. They knew she hated when they did that, but she fought the urge to throttle them and sighed, "Any requests?"<br>Daryl chuckled next to her, while the rest of the group hummed in thought.  
>"Nobody thinks of anything the shows over before it even starts." she smirked smally, hoping to get out of this, and hating Daryl for even bringing it up.<br>Shane had his mouth set in a frown, "Objections officer?" she raised her brow.  
>He shook his head, "Too curious to know what you sound like, just keep it quiet." a smile pulled at his lips. '<em>Damn it! Of all the times for him to be part of the majority<em>', Lacey thought.  
>"Oh! I know, do that Placebo cover." JoJo spoke a moment later, almost bouncing in excitement. The others took in his appearance and their curiousity grew, there was no way out of this for her now.<br>"I don't know if-" she tried to escape, but noises of protest echoed around the circle.  
>"Come on." Amy begged with a pretty smile that Lacey just couldn't say no to.<br>She sighed and looked to JoJo, "I'll rely on you for a beat, and back up...ya little shit." the crowd chuckled quietly, but the boy nodded and moved the blanket aside so he could spread his legs a bit to tap his hands against his chair in a steady rhythm in the way he remembered the song to play like. Lacey noted the way Amy's eyes seemed to light up at the sight of Jo's participation and something similar to music finally filling the quiet air.  
>The group around the fire watched the boy before looking to Lacey, already eager to listen. She cleared her throat, and she concentrated on the noise until she found the right moment to jump in and started, softly, like Shane told her.<p>

"It doesn't hurt me.  
>You wanna feel how it feels?<br>You wanna know, know that it doesn't hurt me?  
>You wanna hear about the deal I'm making?<br>You, be running up that hill  
>You and me, be running up that hill..." everyone listened, intriguied at her voice, it wasn't anything spectacular, but in it's own way, during these tragic times, it was lovely and made them all feel...human and at ease. Every line she sang was like a lullaby.<p>

Just like she'd described to Daryl, at the proper moment anyone can sound like the greatest singer in the entire world, but once you gather your wits, you actually realise that it was total crap.  
>But he disagreed, he sat right next to her, he thought she sounded wonderful, and no amount of denial from Lacey could convince him otherwise. It wasn't singing they'd hear on the radio, synthesised and auto tuned, tweaked and mixed, it was real, like singing in a church choir. He felt like her voice had taken him away, all of them away, from the terror and fear they lived with day to day. Just for the moment, they were free.<br>Lacey didn't look around at her peers as she sang, she kept her gaze on the fire, noting JoJo backing her up now. She smiled slightly, though she was completely embarrassed, she tried not to show it in her voice. She hadn't strived to impress anyone in the camp, but now that she'd been put into this predicament, she didn't dare mess up.

Half way into the song those that had recognised it and knew it were drumming the beat on their thighs and chairs or humming along. Lacey glanced up to see everyone smiling at one another, just smiling. Her skin exploded with goosebumps, feeling like she'd brought the whole camp together, all differences aside for once, as they sang around the camp fire. '_Woah...this is actually pretty lame!_' she laughed in her head.  
>Lacey almost chuckled when she caught Honey's eyes, the girl was transfixed on her, brown eyes wide and staring.<br>The song was coming to it's end and Dale, Amy and Lori had joined in the chorus with JoJo and Lacey. Lacey noting that particular twinkle in JoJo's eye when he looked at Amy.

As the song faded out, it was Lacey's voice alone again, until she finally ended it and looked around with a embarrassed blush on her face before she buried her face into her hands and a quiet applause came around the camp.  
>"Beautiful, simply beautiful." Dale stood up, clapping softly still, causing Lacey's blush to burn brighter.<br>"I assure you, it's the lack of music that leads you to believe that sounded good." she laughed, after that everyone started to disperse, heading to their tents for bed and getting ready for watch shifts.  
>"No complaints here." Robbie smirked, and nodded to Honey who was still staring at Lacey like her face was on upside down. She laughed out loud before taking the girl into her lap.<br>"Thank you." that was Amy's voice, Lacey looked up to see the girl standing in front of her, "I really needed that, I mean, I thought I would've gone crazy without technology weeks ago, but that song set me straight. Made me feel better...And I know it bugged you to do it, but still, thanks."  
>Lacey gawked at her, she didn't know she'd been that much of an impact, "Uhh, sure. No problem. Just don't ask me for an autograph or anything." she joked, Amy laughed before thanking her again and heading into the RV.<br>"Lacey Black's exclusive End of the World concert. One time only, tickets on sale now." Robbie spoke in a dramatic announcer's voice and poked his sister's ribs, causing her to jump as he walked away with a chuckle. He had fourth watch, which meant he could sleep 5 hours before then.  
>Lacey found herself the one still seated in front of the fire, Honey in her lap.<p>

"That was really..." Daryl said, and she waited for it, he was like a best friend, one of those best friends that told you the truth for your benefit, one that wouldn't lie to you. But as he searched for the right word she sort of felt like she was on the edge of her seat. Why did it matter to her if he liked her singing or not? She wasn't sure why her heart seemed to hammer in her chest waiting for his response._ 'What the hell?' _She wondered, _'What's wrong with me?'_  
>There were few times a man's opinion mattered to her, her father's, Robbie's, and-<br>"Nice." he stated. She looked at him, his eyes lifted from the burning embers and he looked to her, "It was. I ain't lyin' and you can't tell me any diff'rent." he stated further, earning a small shy grin from Lacey.  
>"I got third watch, if I'm lucky I can catch 3 hours." he rolled his shoulders twice before leaning down he kissed Honey's plump little cheek, it'd become habit by now for him to give his 'baby girl a goodnight kiss', but as he rose Lacey let her gaze move back to the embers, and was competely unprepared when a gentle peck touched her cheek and just barely near the corner of her mouth.<br>Turning around to question him, she saw him retreating toward his tent. A grin reached her lips as she touched her cheek, feeling a little bit like school girl getting kissed by her crush.  
>But then she thought about it...crush?...<em>Crush<em>?...Do I have a crush on Daryl Dixon?... Since when?

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><p><strong>AN: I think I've been forgetting to put disclaimers at the end of my chapters. So here it is now!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own the show or graphic novel Walking Dead, I also do not own the lyrics of Running Up That Hill.<strong>


	9. 4 point 5

_"What the hell are you doing!" Ben's voice hissed in whispered rage, "We need to go now!"  
>"I know!" Lacey whispered back, "Blue's leading me somewhere." she said and followed the dog.<br>"He's probably leading you to your goddamn death! Lacey. Lacey! He's a goddamn English sheep dog, what does he know about leading? I trust that police dog more than this old coot." Ben stayed close to his sister as she followed the dog they had found only two days ago.  
>Robert and JoJo kept watch, with Rocket alert by their feet, they waited for their other siblings.<br>"Lacey, this is ridiculous. We need to go. We've got enough supplies to last us a month, let's just go."  
>"Just fucking wait a sec, Ben, jeez." she groaned quietly, but Ben kept protesting, for the next 5 minutes until Blue finally stopped, and Lacey's eyes zeroed in on what he'd led her to.<br>"Oh __**great**__." Ben stood behind her then grabbed her shoulder, "We don't have time for you to play animal rescue, we need to go."  
>"We can't just leave her!" Lacey just barely rose her voice above a whisper, "Look at her. She's almost skin and bones, she's got a blind eye...I can't leave her, Ben. I'm not leaving her."<br>Ben growled before going back the way they came, Blue followed him half way, pausing, waiting for Lacey.  
>"Come on..." Lacey approached the golden retriever, "C'mon, Blondie." she smirked, remembering her father had given her that nickname, and only he ever called her that.<br>The dog stood on shaking limbs, her fur was matted with dirt and blood, but she didn't seem to have any injuries, she just hadn't eaten in days, maybe even weeks, she was abandoned at the start of all this no doubt.  
>"That's it. Come over to good ol' Lacey." she mummbled and offered her hand to the dog, she smelled it and then moved closer, apparently agreeing to Lacey being her savior.<br>Lacey picked her up, a full grown female retriever was between 60 and 70 pounds, the dog she was holding had to be at least 45 pounds.  
>She rushed back to where she came from, Blue leading the way to her brothers and Rocket.<br>"Another one? What is up with you? Are you like a beakon for homeless, helpless things?" Robert commented with amusement.  
>"Shut up, let's get out of here quick." Ben led the way, and they started down the highway that led into and out of Atlanta.<em>

Blondie was found in an alley way, slumped next to a dumpster and an old pile of newspapers. Blue was trapped inside an outdoor kennel of a vet's office, and Rocket was wandering the streets, and had _rocketed_ toward us when she caught our non-living dead scent.  
>I had cared for Blondie the most, nursing her back to a healthy enough state that she could actually walk on her own and run again, practically become my shadow.<br>The apocalypse shows you who you really are. That person deep inside of you escapes and takes over. A conflict between siblings became present. A sort of war between good and bad. All of the time Jo was on my side, and Robert would toe the dividing line. Ben had become a 'do anything to keep ourselves alive' survivor, while I became a 'do anything to keep everyone else alive' survivor. At the very end, one of our surviving natures would be our downfall.

-_L.B_


	10. 5

**A/N: All the views and people that are adding this story to their alerts and favorites make me happy. Thanks!**

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><p><em>Like A Virgin<em>

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><p>As days progressed it became part of supper for Lacey to sing before everyone went to bed, making her feel like a mother to everyone, singing them all to sleep, but in the back of her mind she hoped this nightly routine didn't take away from her badass qualities.<p>

And as each night passed, she wondered about that shy kiss he'd given her, he didn't try it again after that night, though he seemed like he wanted to, he was too afraid.  
>And Lacey wasn't necessarily a shy person. I mean, as a kid, maybe, but she grew out of it quickly, not that she was a loud mouth or anything, but she had a fair level of confidence in her.<br>And she'd had a handful of boyfriends in the past, none of which were as shy as Daryl though...not that she thought of Daryl as her boyfriend...'_Oh, God...I'm a teenager again!_' her thoughts cried in annoyance.  
>"'Ey." she jumped at the sound of a voice so near to her, she'd been off in her own thoughts for who knows how long, looking around her she saw that apparently everyone had gone off and done their own thing, while she sat in a chair by the pit with her feet propped up on the stones. She looked toward the owner of the voice and internally rolled her eyes, '<em>Of course<em>.'  
>Daryl raised a brow at her, "What's with the face?"<br>"What?" she snapped and touched her cheeks and forehead, "What's wrong with my face?"  
>"It was all scrunched up, looked like you ate an entire lemon." he explained and she put a hand over her face with a sigh, damning her body for reflecting her inner thoughts outward through facial expressions.<br>"What's up?" he wondered, but she was quick to sit up, "Nothing, I'm fine. Just thinking about...stupid stuff." she mummbled and stood up, brushing off the front of her pants, "What's up with you?"  
>"Gonna see if I can't catch somethin' for tonight. Startin' to run low on food, but your damn dog won't come with me without ya, just like I said." Daryl lifted his hand toward her tent and she turned to see Blondie seated inside, her face laying between her paws as she looked at them through her one good eye.<br>Lacey laughed, "So I have to come with you?"  
>"Don't have to make it sound like a chore or sumthin'." he grumbled and started for the trees.<br>She rolled her eyes, "C'mon, Blondie." she called and the dog sprung up quickly and followed her as she followed Daryl.

She felt like they were first graders, and it was ridiculous, she was 27 and he was...huh, how old w_as_ he? Well, she knew he wasn't a damn 6 year old, that was for sure, so why was he acting like it? Her voice in her head growled, why did she care anyway? It was just a kind gesture, nothing more...right? Fuck if she knew, Daryl may have told her a bunch of stories from his past, but she still couldn't quite figure him out. Why was this so difficult! Why was she making this difficult, why did it matter! Her thoughts fought back and forth in her head.  
><em>Just because it's the end of the world doesn't mean relationships can't be pursued.<br>_**Relationships? What the hell? A relationship? What are you thinking!  
><strong>_I don't know! It's stressful with the dead walking and the surviving and everything. Sometimes feeling like you can turn to somebody, have them hold you and tell you everything's gonna be alright would be nice._  
><strong>Are you joking! You really think everything's going to be alright? Look around you!<br>**_Shut up! It's just a thought. And besides...look at those arms...they're..._  
><strong>Stop it. Don't even start. Daryl is your friend. Your f<strong>_**riend**_**. Nothing more.**  
><em>But he kissed my cheek! Out of the blue, but like he was planning it or meant it. He did it on purpose, that's for damn sure. But why! I NEED TO KNOW!<br>_"Got that face on again."  
>Her head snapped upward and she saw Daryl again, Blondie was off in the distance and she looked at him, "Just thinking about stuff again. It's nothing." she forced a smile, but saw that look in his eye that told her he wasn't about to back down, she saw Blondie approaching, a squirrel with an arrow through it in her mouth.<p>

"Squirrels," Lacey sighed, finding her distraction from the main topic, "it's always squirrels, can't you catch anything else?" she grumbled as Blondie dropped the squirrel into Daryl's open palm. He pulled the arrow out of it before adding it to the rope where two other squirrels hung. He patted Blondie before standing up and glaring fakely at Lacey when he saw the grin on her face.  
>"Shut up, woman. I expect you to appreciate what I give you." he spoke with a smirk.<br>"You're using _my_ dog to get what _you_ give _me_." she stated and walked past him.  
>"You gonna contradict everything I say?"<br>"That's a pretty big word for someone like you." she grinned stepping over twigs as she followed Blondie through the forest.  
>"Girl..." he warned from behind her.<br>"Easy," she raised her hands up in defense with a laugh, "Just teasing."  
>"Ain't one for teasin'."<br>"Oh, is that so Mr. Dixon?" she mocked.  
>"Yeah. If you're gonna tease you best be plannin' on finishin' the job."<br>"_Oooo_h, fiesty. Kitty's got his claws out."  
>"What is your deal, woman?"<br>She stopped and turned to him, "You kissed my cheek the other night, and I'm not really sure what to make of it. You act like a shy, little boy, and that makes _me_ act like a shy, little girl. But I'm a woman and you _are_ a man. So what's your angle."  
>"What? There's no angle."<br>"Then why'd you kiss me?" There was that confident woman in her, pushing that silly shy girl aside as she stepped forward to get her answers.  
>"I don't know."<br>"How can you not know! You did it knowingly, otherwise you wouldn't have done it! Out with it already!" she had a laugh in her voice, but that was only from the irritation from him evading the question.  
>"I care about ya." he finally supplied, loudly, since Lacey had sort of gotten into his face as she interrogated him, "...I guess. Honey and you."<br>Lacey took a few steps back, her eyes widened the sligthest bit, "You care about us?"  
>He gave a short nod, but then that angry Georgian came out just a second later, "Sorry if it bothers you, I know how everyone else feels about me, and my brother. Even though we hunt and kill the food <em>they <em>eat, we're just the white, racist, trash of the group. So, _sorry_, I ain't no Prince of Wales kissin' you."  
>Lacey smirked, but tried not to, though he was angry with her she only found it comical, Prince of Wales? It was very, very hard not to laugh.<br>"I never said it bothered me." she said and laughed, unable to control a small giggle from his little red faced performance.  
>His furrowed brow softened, and he looked slightly embarrassed and she laughed again, "I care about you too, Daryl. You and Merle, as far as I'm concerned, you two are the best men we could have in the camp. You two are strong and keep us all fed, without even a thanks from anyone. If there's ever trouble, my family will protect yours, that's a promise."<br>"Really?" he wondered in disbelief after a few long moments of contemplating her words in silence.  
>"Really." Lacey smirked and stepped forward, partially ignoring the flinch she saw from Daryl when she reached her hand up to his face. Leaning up she kissed his scruffing, dirty cheek, in the same place he'd kissed her, she pulled away, but her hand remained on him, falling from his cheek to his shoulder.<br>"You ain't gonna kiss Merle too, are ya?" he asked, his eyes looking into hers, his gaze bouncing between the left and right.  
>She shrugged, "Do you want me to?"<br>He shook his head, "No." and Lacey laughed, "I won't then."  
>Daryl nodded, looking away from her eyes for a moment, he cleared his throat, "What you said about, uhh... you bein' a woman and... and me bein' a man...did you mean...?" he trailed off.<br>With her being so close, she saw just exactly how his cheeks tinted with red, beyond the dirt and sweat, she smiled and nodded, "Yeah."  
>"Was that what you were thinkin' 'bout?"<br>Her smile fell, damn he was perceptive, but she nodded, "Yeah."  
>"So when I kissed your cheek, you thought I wanted some ass?"<br>She stifled a snort and nodded, "My ass, to be exact...and...yeah, kind of."  
>"Well... that wasn't exactly the message I was tryin' to send, but..."<br>Her stomach fell and rose to her throat with just that one sentence, once he mummbled 'but' she pounced.  
>Lacey crushed her lips against his, feeling him hesistate in shock for a second or two before reciprocating the gesture. She felt his cautious hands on her waist, noting every little shy detail he conveyed in his actions. He was gentle, far more gentle than she had imagined, and as she noticed this, she noticed how her actions must've seemed to him, needy and rough. Clearly, she thought, she should take it down a few notches, so she moved her lips slower, softly against his, after a minute or two, feeling he seemed comfortable enough, she slid her tongue along his bottom lip, and easily gained entrance into his mouth.<br>She wasn't sure how long they stood there, as much as she hated to say it, she found herself '_lost_' in the kiss, but the sound of twigs snapping and bushing rustling pulled them apart just as quickly as Lacey had launched herself at Daryl.  
>Both were ready for what ever it was heading toward them, but then each sighed in relief at the sight of Blondie popping out a bush, a rabbit in her mouth, a few moments later.<br>"So, uhh..." she started after Daryl tied the rabbit to his rope, "we should probably head back now." she mummbled, noticing the pink tone to his face when he nodded.  
>"C'mon, girl." Lacey called and Blondie ran in front of them, leading the way back to camp.<p>

The walk was quiet for a few minutes, which felt like hours to Lacey, as she sent the occasional side glance in Daryl's direction. She felt her own lips were swollen, and her upper lip was most likely red from the grazes of his mustache...she probably looked a sight at the moment and hoped it would fade away by the time they made it back to camp.  
>"So..." she spoke, Daryl just kept a steady pace, seemingly unaware she had even said a word, she grinned smally, taking his silence to her advantage, "have you ever kissed a girl before? Ya know, before back there?" she nodded behind them.<br>He head snapped in her direction, "Excuse me?"  
>"You just seemed really... confused...like I had to teach you. I don't know, you just didn't seem like the kind of guy that was still a virgin. It's admirable, don't get me wrong...but ya know." she shrugged, hiding her smirk from him.<br>"I ain't no virgin! Where the hell do you get off tellin' me that!"  
>"Well, you weren't talking, I had to get you out of your funk somehow. And the best way I figured was to piss you off with accusations...but now that I think about it...<em>are<em> you a virgin?"  
>"No." he growled, "I'm not."<br>"Then you're just normally confused and cautious. Got it." she nodded.  
>"Girl, if I have to lay you down right now and prove it to you-"<br>"Oh, don't tempt me, Mista' Dixon. I'll surely die from excitement." Lacey pulled a southern drawl and skipped ahead of him, catching up with Blondie.  
>"You're askin' for it, darlin'." he called after her, but didn't move to chase after them, "And I'm gonna give it to ya." he mummbled with a predatory smirk, hefting his crossbow over his shoulder, keeping Blondie and Lacey in his sight as they got closer and closer to camp.<p>

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own the show or graphic novel Walking Dead.<strong>

**A/N: It's very short, I know, and I apologize for that, but I had to do it, because if I put this chapter and the next chapter as one chapter it'd be an overload of story progression and awesome, and I'm not sure you could handle it. So just enjoy this one, and I'm not normally one to ask for reviews, but I would really like at least 3 reviews before I put the next chapter up. They don't even have to be super long reviews, you could just give a 'like it' or something short or even a just a smiley face, just **_**something**_**. Please? :)**


	11. 5 point 5

The very first time I kissed a boy was in first grade, but if we want to get technical, my real first kiss was when I was a freshman in high school.  
>King County High School. Jensen Moor. He was a friend of mine, geeky type, skinny, wore glasses, terrible, terrible hair, and he had braces. I think that's what made the kiss the weirdest, his braces, but at the moment I didn't really care about that. Jensen was the first friend I made in KCHS, he was nice and I trusted him... I wonder where he is now...<br>But anyway, I wouldn't say I was promiscuous in my teens. I lost my virginity when I was 17, just before college, with good ol' Georgie Baits... wonder what happened to him... Um, like I was saying, I wasn't a slut, that was for sure. I was kind of a nerd, I didn't party every weekend, I didn't get drunk or stoned all the time, I did my homework, I watched cartoons and ran around with my friends with a camcorder.  
>{For a while I wanted to be a director, I don't remember- Oh yeah, I remember why, because I wanted to marry an actor, like Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Jackman or Johnny Depp, someone like that. Ha, oh to be a teenager again and think everything will work out as you plan it. My friends and I would document almost everything we did, looking back at those videos the footage was so shakey I wouldn't be able to make it through a full minute without getting some motion sickness. Needless to say, that dream went out the window just as quick as it flew in.}<br>But back to sluts. I was the girl that beat up the sluts, it's just what I did. Not for fun or anything...though sometimes it actually was pretty fun, but because they'd pick on me, and you know me, I'm not one to be picked on. So with my violent reputation, it was sort of hard to find a boy that wasn't scared of me and actually liked me.  
>During high school I had...ooh, maybe 5 boyfriends, none were serious of course, otherwise I'd still be with one of them. In college I had 3 more, and then I meant Keenan at the hospital...<br>I'm well praticed in the arts of kissing, foreplay and sex, not that I'm trying to brag or anything, but, heh, I'm kind of a big deal. Ha, only kidding, but really. I felt like a complete porn star throwing myself at Daryl like that...  
>Daryl... he couldn't be considered... could he? No. No, no. I'm blowing this way out of proportion, I need to just stop thinking about it. I mean, all we did was make out, that doesn't constitute a new tally to my conquests.<br>...though...

-_L.B_


	12. 6

**A/N: again, the amount of views, favorites and alerts make me happy!**

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><p><em>I Want It All and I Want It Right Now<em>

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><p>A couple days passed by after the first kiss, Daryl and Lacey were acting like teenagers sneaking out after dark in an effort to rebel against their parents...but what parents? They were being absolutely ridiculous, according to JoJo and Robert who could see right through their fascades during the day. The lingering glances and the small touches. Even Jo and Amy kept it on the down low better than them. Jo and Amy were discreet. Daryl and Lacey? Not so much. It was painted on their faces for anyone to see, except for Ben and Shane, they weren't too perceptive of it, and no one was about to tell them what was going on. God only knows what hell would break lose in camp if the eldest Black knew what the younger Dixon was up to with his only sister. Especially today...<p>

"Where the hell are we going? And why didn't we taking Blondie or Rocket with us?" Lacey grumbled for the fourth time since roaming into the forest alongside Daryl that afternoon.  
>Earlier in the week she'd fashioned a loop out of some of Daryl's red rag to connect to her trench knife's sheath. Now it dangled from her belt loop, falling against her thigh with every step she took.<p>

"The more you ask the more I'm gonna ignore you." Daryl said back to her.  
>"Then how am I going to get an answer out of you?" she asked, but was rewarded with silence, she growled under her breath, "It's noon. I woke up 2 hours ago, and I only <em>had<em>3 hours of sleep, now you're dragging me through the forest. I haven't even had breakfast and you won't tell me where we're going. I'm supposed to be the tough bad ass bitch of the camp and you're turning me into a whining cow." he still didn't respond, he just walked ahead of her, leading them to who knows where for the next 45 minutes. For a moment she thought he'd gone mad and was going to murder her, but judging by the way they'd been sneaking kisses the past two days, she doubted it. His brain seemed well put together, better than some other people at the camp, probably.

"You'd be amazed at how fast I can annoy you," she talked, mainly to herself it seemed, since Daryl hadn't spoke a word in almost an hour, "For example, I had this dream about a week ago, Merle was in it and-"  
>A twig snapped not too far off in the distance, the two stopped and raised their weapons toward the noise.<br>"Shh," he shushed her, his gaze focused toward where the noise had come from, "stay still."  
>Lacey couldn't help her instints, she moved behind Daryl, the dominant, protective, strong figure, and clutched onto him, "Walker?" she whispered, aware of her chest pressed into his back, knowing he could probably feel the frantic beating of her heart, but she still held onto him, uncaring of how silly she may have been.<br>"Not sure..."  
>A few extra long moments passed until Daryl stood up straight again, "You sure move fast for a <em>tough bad ass bitch<em>."  
>She shrugged, putting her knife back into its sheath, her arms remained around his middle as she moved around to face him again, "What can I say, I feel safe around a big strong man. Makes me a little more girly."<br>"Big strong man, huh?"  
>"Mhm." she bit her lip with a nod, her hands moving from his sides, up his arms.<br>This was the game they'd play, in an effort to get Daryl more comfortable with physical affection, and confident enough to be the aggressor, instead of just Lacey being the initiator. And with her ridiculously, helpless and weak routine, that she strangely found herself enjoying when Daryl finally put himself into dominant mode, soon he'd just be Daryl, not tough Daryl and shy Daryl, just Daryl. '_I'm a fucking miracle worker._' Lacey thought triumphantly, a small smirk formed on her mouth as Daryl stared down at her, his eyes moving between hers before he set his cross bow down against the tree behind him.

Lacey's eyes followed the crossbow then traveled back up to Daryl's face, her fingers inching toward the back of his neck, her nails dragging lazy patterns against his hair.  
>His eyes seemed to flutter for a moment before he got back into an assertive attitude and took control over the situation.<br>His hands moved the small of her back and the back of her neck, pulling her flush against him, all while keeping his eyes staring into hers, he felt a shiver move up her spine, and a smirk pulled at his lips before he descended. He'd come a long way in just a couple days, and he was glad Lacey'd been the one to bring the confidence out of him. All the things he was afraid to do, he could do now, well, with less fear of rejection at least, and this had been cooking in his mind since the first kiss.

Her lips were soft and sweet, something Daryl hadn't tasted in a long time. Her mouth was something different to him, maybe it was because she was trying to get the upper hand again, maybe she was something special, either way, it was sending his mind swimming. Her tongue slid over his lip just when he felt his back touch the bark of the tree. He was too dazed to even realise that she had him under her spell, and his mouth moved open for her to glide their tongues together, a sensation that sent even more heat to take over their already warm bodies in the heavy summer air.  
>It was the sound of her gasp against his mouth that brought him out of his daze, remembering he was the man, and naturally dominant in all instances he switched their positions, keeping their lips connected as his hands moved up against her sides, pulling at her shirt as his hands rose higher and higher.<p>

"What about walkers?" she breathed against his mouth when he pulled away, he shook his head, his lips grazing the skin of her cheek and chin before he moved to her neck, "No chance."  
>"What if someone catches us?" she kept a groan from escaping her, biting her lip, when she felt his teeth biting softly at the sensitive skin on her shoulder, he smiled against her skin, she didn't want to stop just as much as he didn't.<br>"Who cares?" his rough hands smoothed over her soft, flat stomach, digging his thumb into the skin next to her hip bone, causing a squeak to come from her as she fought to keep her noises trapped inside.  
>"Daryl." she kept her voice from betraying her, trying to sound stern, but there was still that sigh in it.<br>"We'll be the talk of town. What? What do you want me to say?" he grinned into her neck, "We're too far out for anyone to find us. Relax." She wanted to get defensive after that, whenever someone told her to 'relax' she always exploded into anything but relaxed, it was just how she was programmed, but she was enjoying herself far too much to ruin what was going on.  
>"Was this all part of your plan?" she sighed again, his teeth bit at the nape of her neck as she tugged on his belt.<br>"Mhm." he hummed against her skin, kissing the area that would no doubt be bruised later, he pulled away and looked into her eyes, finding a sort of playfulness as well as evident lust in them.  
>She smiled, reaching a hand behind his neck, "Sneaky bastard. I've created a monster."<br>Daryl chuckled into her kiss, but inhaled a gasp a moment later when her small hand grasped him.

In frenzied kisses and movements he made quick work of her shorts, letting her step out of her boots before disgarding the garment completely. He hoisted her up and letting her legs hold around his hips, he kept her against the tree, using it to his advantage, and pushed the crotch of her panties aside.  
>He pushed in a moment later, his vision blurring as they both groaned. He gasped, his breath taken away from him at the feel of her around him, she was so incredibly tight.<br>He pumped into her once, that blinding pleasure taking over his senses again, "Fuck," he breathed, "You sure _you_ ain't a virgin, darlin'?"  
>"You<em> really <em>wanna know how many guys I've been with?" she asked sarcastically, but moaned a second later, Daryl, though going slowly at first, went as far as he could go with each stroke.  
>"No." he grunted, finding himself able to open his eyes again to look at her. Her chest was heaving and they hadn't even started, he took this as a good sign.<br>"Didn't think so." she gasped laughter, from the stupid conversation they had created during mid intimacy and the ecstacy already building up in her core. She hadn't been with someone like this in over 4 months.  
>"Just enjoy it." she mummbled, a moan escaping her throat before she leaned her head against his shoulder and she clutched her arms around his neck.<br>"Oh, I will." he groaned and started moving quicker, building up speed with each quiet moan in his ear from Lacey, pushing him harder and faster.

Her lower back rubbed against the bark, scraping painfully, but she couldn't care less, what Daryl was doing to her was far more interesting and that sensation in her stomach was becoming too much to bear.  
>His breath was rough and ragged as he moved in a frantic, nearly violent pace, his end was near, but he needed her to go before him, that feeling, that sound, that look from her would just set him off and he knew it.<br>He reached a hand in between them, finding that sweet, little spot easily before rubbing it in a circle, once...twice...three times.  
>Lacey tossed her head back against the tree, her brow furrowed together in what would seem to be concentration, her eyes squeezed shut, then a split second later, her face relaxed, her eyes slid open with a dreamy gaze, and she let out purr of his name. All that, added onto the flexing and releasing of her against him, pulled a long and loud groan from him, he reached a hand out against the tree trunk beside Lacey's head to steady him, catching his breath he leaned his head against her shoulder.<p>

A smile came to his face when he saw the pulse in her neck pounding rapidly.  
>He kissed her neck a few times before he pulled out of her, hissing at the dull pleasure that brought him before zipping his pants up. He grabbed Lacey's shorts from the ground and handed them to her, smirking as she snatched them from him, a bright red tinge to her cheeks, more or less from their recent activity.<br>She slipped them on and pulled her shirt down, ignoring the sting in her back and stepping into her boots. She ran a hand through her hair, sweaty tangled strands captured her fingers, she undid the little knots and looked to Daryl fixing his belt into place.  
>"Well?" he asked, putting his arms out in a waiting sort of fashion.<br>"Well, what?" she mummbled, picking up her knife, and reattaching the loop to her shorts belt loop, she started in the direction toward camp.  
>"Was good, right?" Daryl grabbed his crossbow and caught up with her.<br>She put her hand up, a gave it a shake, "Meh.", she shrugged, "You seem a little out of practice."  
>Daryl scoffed, "Excuse me? I believe I just rocked your world back there."<br>She gave a shrug again before turning her head to look at him, he had a fierce pinch between his eye brows as he stared down at her.  
>"I'm just kidding, jeez." she rolled her eyes, she reached her arm up to hook around his neck, leaning up on her toes and kissed him slowly, bringing his steps to a halt as his vacant hand took hold of her hip, "It was perfect." she said against his lips, "Just what <em>I<em> needed." she smiled and kissed him once more before walking again.  
>"You're damn right it was perfect." he mummbled, smirking triumphantly. She rolled her eyes, she may have truly created a monster...a vain monster.<p>

Contrary to Benjamin-belief, Lacey was a fantastically great liar, so when the question was raised of where they were for the past 3 hours, she answered simply, "Just patrolling the area."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own the graphic novel or the show, Walking Dead.<strong>

**A/N: very short, but... :D compliments to the chef? **

**By the way, I've never written a heterosexual scene like this before, so if you could tell me how I did that would be cool :D  
><strong>


	13. 6 point 5

5...

5 guys. I have now been with 5 guys...

I think that's a good number... I mean, I don't think it's too much, not too little...it's just...in the middle. Ya know?

...

I had sex with Daryl Dixon...

_Daryl_ **Dixon**...Holy shit... I'll admit it though, I wasn't expecting it to be _that_ good, I mean, it kind of surprised me, actually. Post apocalyptic sex? That's a sex I never thought I'd have, and I must say, it's very nice, on the scale of great sex I'd say it's between 'I'm Sorry, I'm an Idiot, Please Love Me Sex' and 'We Just Had a Fight, I'm Still Kind of Mad at You, Angry Sex'.

The guy knows what he's doing, that's all I'm saying. Though I've probably got a nasty scab brewing on my back it was totally worth it.

But now those stupid thoughts are in my head, ya know? The ones that don't really matter during a time of survival? Those thoughts.

Are we still just friends? Do I like him? Does he like me? Are we more than friends? Does the boyfriend-girlfriend thing still exist? What if he doesn't talk to me after this? I still have that overwhelming need to protect him, and Merle if danger presents itself. I can't believe we fucked in the woods, _against_ a tree even!

Wow...

But then...there are those other thoughts...those...other feelings...

Guilt

-_L.B._


	14. 7

**A/N: And after a half an hour wait, I give you 7.**

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><p><em>Seems Like the Wife Type  Wait...What?_

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><p>Another supply run, only this time, Andrea, T-Dog, Morales, Jacqui and Merle wanted to go with Glenn. JoJo volunteered to stay behind, feeling like there was already too many people on this mission as it was. With none of her brothers going into the city, it was assumed Lacey would be fine, but of course she wasn't. She didn't like the idea of <strong>anyone<strong> going into the city. But as she sat at the edge of the quarry with Blondie and Blue it was obvious it wasn't just the fact that a large group of survivors that she'd come close to were off in a walker infested city _again.  
><em>  
>He walked down to the quarry, after watching her retreat. Her brothers had gone off doing their own thing, Jo and Ben going to scout for any sort of food they could find incase when the others came back they weren't so lucky in getting anything edible. Robbie stayed behind to chat with Dale while he babysat Honey, leaving Lacey all alone.<p>

Daryl rolled his eyes and sighed heavily before finally asking, "What's wrong?"  
>"Nothing." she answered quietly.<br>"Damn it, Lacey, what's wrong. You got that damn face on again. It's borderlinin' on upsetin' and irritatin' me, so what the hell is wrong with you?"

She sighed before shaking her head, her eyes set forward on the water in front of her, "I never expected this, and I know no one really did, but...I never expected any of this to happen to me, like...like to have my own child under these circumstances, given to me in the middle of a... weird, science-fiction like, outbreak in _Georgia_."  
>"What's wrong with Georgia?" Daryl shot back defensively.<br>"Nothing," Lacey chuckled, "I was just...I wasn't supposed to be here."  
>Daryl's defensive nature took a notch or two down as he waited for her to continue. "I was going to be married this month..."<p>

Daryl's brow scrunched together, '_of course_', when he first saw her he thought she was too beautiful not to have someone before all of _this, _and with her baby, he just sort of assumed all the pieces fit together and he never stood a chance. But he figured, like the last time she was bummed out like this, that distracting her from her sadness was the key to getting her spirits up again...but to talk about the guy she was gonna marry? When only a couple of days ago he had lured her out into the woods to have sex with her... He shook his head with a sigh before plugging his nose and diving in...metaphorically speaking... though if the guilt became too much for him he just might dive into that mass of leech infested water in front of them.

"What's his name?" he assumed talking about it would make he feel better...but then again it could have the complete opposite effect. But he knew her well enough to know she wasn't a big emotional wreck like some of the other people in the camp, she wasn't a cry baby, and she kept herself put together for the sake of everyone else. But she hadn't even mentioned this, this big, huge, meaningful person in her life, for almost a month and a half, not a single word, not even from her brothers, surely they knew too. With that thought in mind he wondered if they hated the guy, or if they liked him... or if they even liked Daryl himself, well, tolerated would be the correct word choice.

"Keenan." she said, still staring at that water, as if she could see him emerging from it and walking toward her right then (in the back of his mind, Daryl remembered the first day in camp when Ben yelled at her, '_What about Keenan?_', makes sense now)_, _"Keenan Grady... I met him at the hospital, it was past midnight, and I was working a double," he noticed her smile as she rattled off every little fact, "It was my second week. I almost fell asleep on the reception desk when he ran in, his eyes were red, from lack of sleep or he'd been crying, I wasn't sure, but he was trying to catch his breath, he asked for his father, a man who was admitted the other afternoon. He was one of my patients. I took it as coincidence, he took it as fate. Either way, he visited his father a lot the next week, flirting with me until he asked me on a date... 5 months later we were engaged, a month after that I'm packed to move to New York... then this happens."  
>"5 months and you decided to marry the guy? That's a little quick." Daryl noted, trying to keep the jealously deep inside him where it belonged.<br>Lacey shrugged, "Some people can fall in love quicker than that... Or some people just settle."  
>"So this Grady guy was in New York when it started..." Daryl mummbled, only slightly confused about how she could possibly want to marry some guy she met in a hospital after 5 months and not even be in contact a month before the wedding.<br>She nodded, "New York was one of the cities that was hit hardest... but somehow I still have this tiny speck of hope that maybe he's alive."  
>Daryl's stomach dropped, there was the chance that this dude was still alive... then that sobering thought that hadn't even crossed his mind hit him.<br>There was a silence as they stared out in front of them, Lacey's smile had disappeared and her gaze fell her to hands.  
>"So...Grady sounds like a..."<br>"Irish name, yeah." she nodded.  
>"You got a thing for guys with accents or sumthin'?"<br>Completely caught off guard, Lacey bursted into laughter, "Shut up."

Daryl coerced her into talking more about her would've-been-husband, finding himself a little more curious than jealous now about the man who would have had his ring on Lacey's finger.  
>She told him he was about the same height as him, dark hair, almost black, and blue eyes that were way different from Daryl's. He was kinda skinny, and though he tried to speak with an American accent, his Irish always peeked through. He was a buisnessman, like his father, owning a few companies throughout the country, as well as some hospitals. His father owned the hospital she was working in, Grady Memorial Hospital, it was kind of obvious. And they lived in New York. Lacey told him about how thrilled she was at the idea of being back in New York, and being married there.<p>

Before the tragedy happened she had girly dreams of a giant, princess-y wedding in New York, she wanted something outdoor, with a big poofy dress. That was her plan.  
>"You sound like a girl with expensive tastes." Daryl smirked, and she shrugged, "My dad would've paid for anything."<br>"Was he a millionaire or sumthin'?"  
>"Or sumthin'." Lacey mocked with a nod, and laughed when he glared at her, "We lived on the 52 floor, the penthouse of our apartment building. It was pretty swanky, but as I kid I didn't know any better, I just took it for granted." she shrugged, "Probably could've holed up there pretty well during all of this."<p>

Daryl's eyes widened slightly, not only was this girl pretty, she used to be loaded. She'd gone from riches to rags, orphaned from New York to Georgia, worked more than 15 jobs until she was a nurse in a hospital her fiance owned. She could sell her story to movie producers... if the world ever went back to normal.

"Every day Dad would come with us when the driver took us to school."  
>Daryl put his hand up to stop her before she continued, "Wait! Driver? You had a driver?"<br>She shrugged, "Yeah. Dad didn't like taxis, neither did Mom."  
>"You were such a spoiled <strong>brat<strong>. Look at you now, eatin' squirrels and sleepin' in a tent."  
>"Hey! I wasn't a brat! I was a good kid, I just didn't know I had it made or I would've used it to my advantage more often."<br>"Whatever. I can see it, little Lacey with blonde pigtails, whinin' about her pony not bein' the right color."  
>Lacey gasped, "Shut up! I didn't have a pony." she laughed and punched his arm.<br>"Your fiance probably would've got you one then."  
>It fell quiet, neither one looked at the other, Lacey patted Blondie who had her head on her lap, dozing off. Blue sat between the two humans, acting like a barrier, his eyes shifting behind his heavy fringe.<br>"So, uhh..." Daryl broke the silence slowly, "Do you, ya know...do you...regret-"  
>Lacey cut him off before he could finish, "No. No, of course not." and he smiled a little.<br>"Everything about that was perfect...well, maybe not everything," she tilted her head to the side in thought, "the woods, dirt, and no bed weren't quite perfect, but, yeah. It was good." she nodded.  
>"Oh! And the constant fear of walkers. That wasn't so great either." she added with a wink.<br>He rolled his eyes, "So...again...sometime?" he offered shyly.  
>"Sometime," she nodded, smirking at his bashfulness.<br>"Alright," he leaned toward her and brushed his lips against hers, but pulled away the instant their lips met comfortably, "But not right now." he stood up with a cocky grin, "I gotta kill some stuff." he pulled his crossbow over his shoulder and started away.  
>She glared at the back of his head, "Wanna take Blondie?"<br>"I'll be fine on my own." he called over his shoulder and kept on. She watched him walk until his form finally disappeared from her sight.

A smile tugged at her lips as she looked out over the water.  
>They were opposites, one could say complete opposites, city girl and country boy. A girl who had it all then taken away then about to get it all back again, and a boy who...never really had much to begin with. She had found the man she was going to marry before all this began, she was in love with him. <em>'Some people fall in love... Or some people just settle'. <em>  
>She sighed and dropped her head against her knees, "As if I didn't have enough stress on my mind." she grumbled.<p>

She stayed at the quarry for a while longer, just enjoying the minor peace she could get from staring out at the water and watching Blue and Blondie play until the tired themselves out and layed down next to her.  
>"Well, it is getting kind of late," she said and stood up with a groan, wiping the dirt from her pants she started for the trail, her loyal, yet exhausted dogs following closely.<br>The closer she got to camp, the more she felt tired herself, almost wanting to just sit down and call it a day there. But something caught her ear, a sound, a very strange sound to be heard in the wildress, far from the city..." A car alarm?"

She picked up her lazy pace, and came face to face with Robbie, who held a concerned looking Honey who reached out to her, "Ma." she whined before Lacey took her, her small arms hooked around Lacey's neck as they all looked to the reason for the tremendous noise taking over the camp.  
>"What's going on!" she called to her brother over the noise.<br>"I don't know!" he shouted back, and a second later the noise was gone.  
>A shiny, new, red mustang had been the culprit. The driver being Glenn.<br>Lacey wondered forward, her facial expression giving everything away. Not that she wasn't glad to see Glenn, but...where in the hell were the others?  
>She'd walked in on the end of the conversation, Glenn apologising for driving the car with the alarm blaring all the way to the camp, like some sort of beakon for the walkers.<br>"I got a cool car...?" he offered, and Lacey couldn't help but smirk. Quietly crunching up the dirt road came the van, and she felt better already.  
>Amy bolted to the van and hugged her sister tightly, the same with every person that came out.<br>Honey whined quietly from Lacey's arms, an unmistakable plea that meant she was hungry, it took a month for Lacey to learn, but Honey had trained her well.  
>"Alright. Since everyone's back I suppose I can get you something to eat."<p>

It was the cry of "DAD!" that shook her to the bone, she'd just finished making Honey's formula when she heard it, almost causing her to drop it to the tent floor. It was Carl's voice, Carl's father, he called for him. But Lacey knew the story, Lori had told her, Shane was the last to see him, the power went down in the King County Hospital and Rick's heart beat stopped.  
>She sprinted through the tent flaps and toward the center of the camp, and that's where she saw it, a scene that broke and melted her heart, all while putting pieces back together at the same time. Rick held onto Carl and Lori, hugging them tightly, never wanting to let go, Lacey suspected.<p>

"Is that Lacey Black?" Rick's voice chuckled, tears in his eyes as he looked around the camp.  
>Lacey nodded, "It sure is, Officer Grimes." she smiled as she walked over to the complete Grimes family and was enveloped in their hug.<br>"Your brothers?" he wondered quietly, a flicker on worry in his kind eyes.  
>"The gang's all here, Rick." she whispered back with a grin, and the boys walked over to reunite with their friend.<br>Lacey laughed along with her brothers and Rick as they joked in happiness of the Black-Grimes family finally being united again.  
>But her laughter fell short when she caught sight of Dale waving her over, and her stomach dropped when he told her the news. She almost felt sick, but more angry than anything, but she kept it well hidden. There wasn't anything she could do at the moment... She could keep her temper in check...but when Daryl came back... that's when the shit would hit the fan.<p>

Lacey told the story of Honey for the third time when everyone gathered around the fire that night. Everyone seemed in their rightful places. Though Daryl was absent and Merle was...  
>It felt complete in a way.<br>"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon?" Dale spoke up, "he won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind."  
>"I'll tell him." Shane sighed.<br>"I dropped the key, it's on me." T-Dog said right after Shane.  
>"I cuffed him, that makes it mine." Rick said with the most guilty face Lacey had even seen.<br>She rolled her eyes, they were all horrified and disgusted with themselves, as they should've been.  
>"Guys," Glenn interrupted with an airy chuckle, "it's not a competition. I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy." he looked to T-Dog next to him.<br>"I did what I did, I'm not gonna hide from it."  
>"We could lie." Amy piped up, only for her sister to shut her down shortly after, "Tell the truth, Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed." Andrea looked around the group, then to Lori, speaking to her, "Your husband did what was necessary, and if Merle got left behind it is nobody's fault but Merle's."<br>"And that's what we tell Daryl? I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?" Dale, ever the voice of reason, spoke. Somewhat keeping the fuming rage within Lacey.  
>"Word to the wise. We're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from this hunt."<br>T-Dog went on to explain that he stopped long enough to chain the door, leaving a still living, breathing, cuffed Merle on a rooftop in a walker infested Atlanta.

"And you left him! You didn't even try to save him! I can't- I just-" Lacey stood up, unable to find the correct words to express herself, but at the same time thankful that she didn't. She walked away from that fire pit, angry and mind racing, and on the other side of the team. Merle was a person, maybe one of the meanest people anyone would ever meet, but he was a person. No one deserved to be cuffed to a roof in a time like this, no one deserved to die like that. Merle was a person in this camp she'd grown to like, a person she'd decided to make sure to protect when and if it ever came down to it. And this entire camp that she'd befriended had turned against him, and left him to die, like it wasn't a big deal, like it was gift to themselves, a problem they didn't have to deal with anymore. It may have been the end of the world, and they may be survivors, but in Lacey's opinion they were far from people now...

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Walking Dead, the graphic novel or the show.<strong>

**A/N: And the almost painfully obvious and cliche reason for the guilt! And the anger makes an appearance again. I hope this will keep you all satisfied for a while, I want to say next Friday I'll have something up, and if not then then definitely Saturday or Sunday. I'd love to see some comments or if there are any questions I'd be glad to answer.**


	15. 7 point 5

The girl with the stone face and one million emotions. That's what Robert calls me.  
>Whenever there's something wrong I have a blank face, though recently my blank face has been betraying me. Either way, I can usually hide what I'm feeling... at least that's how it used to be. I felt guilty and angry and somehow still a little happy.<br>If Keenan was still alive-  
>NO, nope, not even going to touch that right now. But leaving Merle in the middle of the city, <strong>cuffed<strong> with no key to the top of a building where Walkers could just-  
>I couldn't believe it, I mean, how could they do that? How? I can't even look at those commercials with all the abused animals or the starving 3rd world country kids without feeling guilty as fuck. Like it's my fault they're like that, but it's totally not!<br>Merle is a jerk, I know it, everyone knows it, but he said 'You're alright'...I mean, that's got to mean something in the Dixon language, like something close to 'I respect you', or 'I'll fuck anyone up who tries to mess with you', or even 'consider yourself a Dixon, 'cause I'm looking out for you now'... I don't know something like that, I don't speak their language! I'm from New York, damn it! Don't judge me! I can only read my little brother, everyone else is sort of hard to read, so I'm just guessing that's the meaning behind Merle's little comment.  
>Damn it! How could they just leave him! God! I mean! I just- I just wanna scream, I can't even put words together... HOW! How! How! HOW! Ya know? I mean... fuck.<p>

Hah, there I go proving another one of Robert's theories about me. Whenever I display an emotion it's just one emotion. Like a fairy, he says, they're too small to have more than one emotion in their bodies at a time. It's a joke about how short I am. Needless to say, it's an absolute riot when he calls me Tinkerbell (Sarcasm. I fucking hate it when he calls me Tinkerbell).

I mean! Who do these people think they are? God? They're not! God had a plan, and he went through with it. He let the dead rise, he gave them a hunger that couldn't be satisfied, and he kept a few groups spread throughout the world alive, just to watch us squirm and cry and fight. God wouldn't have cuffed Merle to that pipe on the roof, he wanted us to have free range, this was his sick game, it had to be...

If they don't go back into the city and bring Merle Dixon back to safety then I will.

-_L.B._


	16. 8

**A/N: Good news everyone! I've only got one more final, and it's tomorrow and then that's it! Finally a whole month to relax and actually sleep. I'm really looking forward to all the sleep :D  
>So in my mini sort of celebration sort of way I'm putting up this chapter.<br>This sort of seems like a filler to me, there's nothing too exciting, but I'll let you be the judge of that. Oh, and ****THANKS**** for the reviews and favorites and alerts :)**

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><p><em>The Persistent, The Last Straw and The Beaten<em>

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><p>The next morning Lacey was one of the first people to know about Rick's mission to the city to rescue Merle.<br>"I figured you'd want to know, seein' the way you reacted last night, I'd say you've gotten attached to him?" Rick wondered.

Lacey nodded, "We got off on the wrong foot at first, but we've got an understanding now, we're on good terms. He's an alright guy. Definitely not a guy I'd like to meet after I cuffed him to a rooftop though." she gave him a look that could've matched something his mother would've given him when he was a child and got in trouble in school.

Rick could always see that quality in her, that motherly quality, he was just waiting for the day she had kids of her own, see her skills put to the test. The way he saw her with Honey was different than what he expected, he thought she'd be a stern mother, someone who worried about everything and everyone like she did with Carl, but she wasn't like that. She seemed...at ease, in a way. Like it was natural. Like Honey and Lacey were meant to become daughter and mother. He didn't quite understand it, but he knew Lacey Black kept herself balanced, she could switch her attitude in a second. Mom to warrior. Warrior to nurse. Nurse to survivor. And so on.

Rick blinked slowly with a roll of his eyes, then went to Shane and Ben, telling them what he was about to do. That's where it started to get hairy.

Screams came from the outer edges of camp, and on pure instinct the mothers ran at the sound of their children shouting for them. "Stay here." Ben said to Lacey who found herself clutching Honey a little tighter. He ran off behind Lori and Carol.  
>She passed the baby off to Robert and was about to find out what happened when she found herself stopped in her tracks.<p>

The shit was about to hit the fan.  
>"Merle!" she heard his voice when he entered the camp, her heart immediatly shattering, knowing that he wouldn't get an answer from his brother, his brother was miles away.<p>

"Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! Caught us some squirrels. Know Lace ain't helpin' me skin this." he smiled smally when he caught sight of Lacey as he set his cross bow down, her hands were up by her mouth as she approached him, "Baby, wait-" she started, but Shane called after them, "Daryl, why don't you slow up a bit, I need to talk to you."

Daryl looked at Shane from over his shoulder then back to Lacey in front of him, who by the seconds seemed to fall away more and more from her badass bitch exterior and into something he usually saw by the quarry, confusing him into a worry that turned his stomach over, her calling him 'baby' was something he'd have to brush away now and examine later.

"You need to listen, don't be too upset." Lacey told him as she touched his arm, her fingers sliding down to take hold of his hand.  
>"What the hell are you talkin' about?" he whispered, the confusion was obvious in his tone and it killed her a little more inside, his eyes shifted between her and the officer as Shane's footsteps came closer.<p>

"Need to talk to me 'bout what?" he turned toward the man, Shane ignored Lacey's strange mood change when she sent a glare his way.

"'Bout Merle." he stated, "there's a uhh...there's a problem in Atlanta." putting out his well known policeman voice, she'd heard it tons of times when they'd all go out to the bar and he'd hit on girls, he'd use that _superior_tone and somehow the girls just ate it up. She never understood why, but the way he was using that tone on Daryl just tipped her over the edge.

"Don't give him the good cop routine. Spare him the bullshit and tell him what happened." Lacey finally snapped and took her hands away from Daryl to step up to Shane, that glare becoming more and more fierce, but Ben stepped forward to bring her away from Shane as she closed in on him.

"What's wrong with you. Take it easy." Ben hissed.  
>"What if you were left down there, Ben. What if Rob, or Jo, or I was left down there. Hmm?" Lacey hissed back with much more venom, and the grip on her arm loosened, and she shook off the rest of his touch with a dramatic rip.<p>

It was eerily quiet as everyone seemed to circle around Daryl, Shane, Lacey and Ben who stood in the center, all eyes on the Dixon boy.  
>"He dead?" Daryl finally asked, ignoring all the eyes.<br>"Not sure." Shane admitted lamely.  
>"He either is or he ain't!" Daryl got into predatory mode and nearly started circling Shane until Rick stepped in.<p>

"There isn't an easy way to say it so I'll just say it." that was the difference between Shane and Rick's policemen tone's. Rick's tone she could handle, he got right down to buisness, and he didn't have any other motive behind his words. But Shane... well, sometimes he was a dick.

"Who're you?" Daryl snapped in his direction.  
>"Daryl, calm down." Lacey begged, and put a hand on his arm again, knowing if he was anything like her, there was no calm to be had after that, but it was still worth a shot.<p>

"Rick Grimes."  
>"Rick Grimes," Daryl's voice was rough and rude, just like his brother's, and Lacey held onto him tighter, if she had to hold him back she'd try her very best, "You got somethin' you wanna tell me?"<br>"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof...he's still there."  
>Lacey felt the shift in his muscles under her hand, he raised a hand to his face, no doubt forcibly pushing back the tears that stung in his eyes at the thought of his only kin trapped in the middle of a walker infested hell hole.<p>

"Hold on, lemme process this." he wiped the sweat from his brow and looked back to Rick, "You sayin' you handcuffed my brother to a roof? And you left him there!" he shouted, his face already reddening from the anger.  
>"Daryl." Lacey whispered in a feeble attempt to calm him, there was no stopping him, she knew that. His temper was far worse than hers, and he was way, way bigger than her, so calming him down...it'd be like stepping in front of a speeding car, going down hill with no brakes.<p>

"Yeah." Rick answered honestly. Lacey felt bad for her minor explosion last night, seeing the guilt etched all over Rick, she knew there was no way he would ever sleep peacefully at night knowing Merle had been left behind like that.

In a matter of seconds, before Lacey could even blink, Daryl had thrown himself at Rick, got rushed by Shane and was put into a chokehold. She shouted at Shane and Rick, getting herself pulled away from the situation by JoJo.

"I know you hate when anyone says it, but you **need** to relax. Rick's going to go get Merle, Daryl'll eventually calm down. You need to keep a good example up for these people." he told her flat out, effectively setting her straight. She nodded, "Just lemme go talk to him. He needs to know someone else feels his pain."  
>JoJo nodded after a moment, "Go ahead. He needs it."<p>

"Listen, I know what it feels like. I flipped out on them last night, so they hate me as much as they hate you for wanting to go back and get Merle. I mean, the guy's kind of hard to get along with but... he's grown on me. I feel like one of my own is out there."  
>Daryl looked at her, they knew each other well, and he knew she was telling the truth, he could see it in her eyes, the way they were tearing up slightly, and the way that she couldn't stand still, just like him.<p>

"I had half a mind to go out and get him myself last night."  
>"Good thing you only had half a mind to do that." he grumbled, and she smiled, glad to know he wasn't mad at her too.<p>

She stood in front of him, searching those sad blue eyes before she moved her arms around his neck.  
>"Woah, what are you doin'?"<br>She raised a brow, and glanced around, "I'm trying to kiss you?" she offered.  
>"In front of everyone?" he looked around, their current position had caught a few bystanders attentions.<p>

She nodded, "Of course. These people need to know where my allegiances lie. And frankly," she chuckled, "it's the end of the world. I don't really give a shit who thinks what about who I kiss."  
>He smiled a little. "And besides, I figure a kiss will make you feel a little better."<br>"Hmm," he hummed before he moved his hands to circle around his waist, pulling her an inch or two closer, "Maybe..."

Lacey smiled before leaning up to rest her lips against his, it was a simple kiss, soft, caring and short.  
>"I dunno. I'm not fully convinced your tryin' to make me feel better." he smirked, gripping her side tightly for a moment.<br>"Later." she mummbled and moved her arms away from him, a small blush on her cheeks when she saw the lusty, playfulness in his eyes.

"Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?" Shane's voice approached them, as well as his and Rick's boots crunching under the dirt.  
>"'Ey," Daryl started, one hand still resting on the small of Lacey's back, "choose your words more carefully." he warned.<br>"Oh no, I did. Douche bag's what I meant." Shane retorted quickly.  
>"Hey, he's not all bad." Lacey defended, "He's likable when you get to know him."<br>"You _like _Merle Dixon?" Glenn asked, asking in the shocked manner everyone else was surely wanting to.  
>Lacey shrugged with a nod.<br>"Lacey, you like everyone." Robert noted with a smirk.  
>"Not Denise Birts, Lori you know who I'm talking about, knocked her ass out at a gas station. That's one slut that didn't know when to quit."<p>

Lori, trying not to seemed amused, kept silent and stern faced.  
>The more Shane opposed Rick's plan, the more Rick defended it, and the more people got involved the more voluteers there were.<br>In the end it was Rick, Daryl, Glenn, T-Dog, Ben and JoJo.  
>"I want to go too." Lacey stepped forward.<br>"No, Lacey. I want you here, from what I've heard you're one of the toughest in this camp, we need you to stay here and defend it. Keep our people safe." Rick's voice sounded the loudest over the other protests that came from Shane, Daryl and of course, Ben.  
>Lacey fell into a staring match with Rick before she finally caved in, "Alright. But you bring my men back in one piece, Grimes." she smiled, forced though it was, she truly was glad that Rick was back.<p>

The mission was simple; rescue Merle and retrieve a bag of guns and a walkietalkie that Rick dropped in the street before he got swarmed by walkers and then saved by Glenn. He had a debt to a man and his boy who saved his life, and more guns and ammo meant better protection. The mission was a go, no matter who didn't like it.

"If my brother bothers you, just try your best to ignore him. He looks after himself well enough, so don't worry about him. But Jo..." Lacey trailed off, adjusting Honey on her hip as she spoke to Daryl leaning against the side of the van. He nodded and took Honey's outstretched hand into his, planting a kiss on it before letting it go.  
>He looked back to Lacey, "Take care of my baby brother." she begged, reaching her hand to the back of his neck, her fingers gently yet nervous stroking through his hair.<p>

"Take care of my baby girl." He responded with a nod toward Honey, Lacey gave a watery smile before he leaned down and kissed her, it was gentle but needy in a way. Not a goodbye kiss, but more of a I-_will_-be-back kiss. And she believed it, pulling away she smiled that shy little smile that drove him crazy, and walked over to her brothers approaching the van.

"Do _not _play army general. I don't wanna hear about how annoying you are." Lacey dramatically rolled her eyes and laughed before hugging Ben, "Shut up. I'm not annoying." he jabbed her side while he hugged her back, "Be back before dark." he promised and climbed into the back of the van.

Lacey moved on to JoJo, she hugged him tighter than she did before he left for his first supply run with Glenn, "Stay close to Daryl." she whispered, and he nodded before pulling away.  
>"Love you." he smiled and swiftly hopped into the van, "Love you too." Lacey smiled, and then noticed his eyes move behind her, where Amy stood, he waved. And then they were off. That uncomfortable feeling came quicker than before, and this time there was no Daryl to distract her.<p>

The entire day Lacey knew she would be on the edge, even more than the other times. She didn't retreat to the quarry, but she did keep the shotgun Ben left her slung around her shoulder as she walked around, chewing the inside of her cheek, biting her nails and running her fingers through her pony tail.

"Quit your pacing, woman. And take care of this little girly. She's whining for her Mama." Robert's voice pierced the air, Lacey hadn't noticed she was pacing until she turned to see her brother, she stopped walking and reached for Honey, who reached out for her as well.

"I'm just worried. I mean... you know how it is. It's our brothers, it's Daryl, Rick and T-Dog. Glenn does fine on his own, and even with JoJo they're a good team, but... I don't know. Two trips to the city in two days, I feel like we're pressing our luck." she explained quietly.

"I know." Robert nodded, "Just...try and get your mind off of it. See if Honey's ready to start walking, go down to the quarry, do some chores, get the kids together and tell some stories, anything Lacey, 'cause when you're like this, everyone gets antsy..." he looked around, "You're the tough girl, seeing the tough girl worried, worries everyone else."  
>Lacey looked around quickly, he was right. When she looked around the camp, those that had been watching her looked away quickly, pretending to go about their buisness, but she could see the shift in their moderately relaxed posture, they were just about on edge as she was.<br>"Okay." she nodded, "Something to chill me out..."

She took Robbie's suggestions, she took a blanket down to the quarry with Honey and helped her in strengthening the bones and muscles in her legs. She wasn't really expecting her to actually walk, but once Honey got used to standing up, she became adamant in walking and doing it on her own. Lacey chuckled as Honey grunted, falling onto her butt for what seemed like the hundreth time, only for her to scrunch her brow together and start all over again.

Lacey glanced around, coming down the trail was Carol's Cherroke, and out of the vehicle came four familiar faces. Carol, Andrea, Amy and Jacqui had all the proper tools for starting on some laundry. While Ed took a seat on the open tail gate, lighting up a cigarette and putting that look on his face.

Something brewed in her belly at the just the sight of that man, it was something familiar, something she hadn't felt in a while, not since her first and second years in college. She was teetering on the edge of calm and angry, and that feeling in her stomach was the feeling of the inevitable fight. If she was pushed, well, it would get ugly.

Lacey ground her teeth together, wanting to smack that look right off his face, but then looked back to the women who got to work. Seemed like every day was laundry day, with all the luxuries of life before not at their disposal, it made sense that chores seemed to pile up quicker now.

Lacey waved at the women before picking up Honey and the blanket and heading to where they sat along some rocks close to the water. Down the trail came Shane and Carl, with a bucket and net in hand.  
>"Lacey." Shane nodded with a glimpse of a smile. She nodded back and looked to Carl who waved, "Hi, Lacey. Shane's gonna teach me how to catch frogs. Maybe I could catch one for Honey, ya know, like a pet."<p>

"Aww, that's sweet of you, Carl. I'm sure she'll be excited about it." Lacey grinned and ruffled his hair slightly before going on her way toward the women.  
>"Howdy, ladies. How goes the women's work." Lacey greeted as she set the blanket down behind the rocks and put Honey down on it. The girl immediately standing up and trying to walk on her own. Her wobbly legs taking her half a step before she crumbled and picked herself up to do it again.<p>

"Well, she's persistent." Amy laughed.  
>"Yeah. She hasn't stopped and we've been down here for about an hour."<br>"Think she'd be as determind fishing?" Andrea joked, "Amy and I are gonna take Dale's canoe and gear, see if we can catch some fish."  
>"I don't know. Think she'd try to learn to swim if you took her out there." she took her place next to Jacqui and started wringing the water from the clothes.<p>

In the distance they saw Shane and Carl trying to catch those frogs, and Jacqui spoke up, wondering how the women got landed with the women's work, while the men did as they pleased, the example being Shane and Carl.  
>"Sorta comes with the sex. Woman, woman's work." Lacey grinned, she never really got offended when sexist stuff came up, she found it kind of funny. She was well educated, a good fighter, and nurse, she felt didn't find any competition or status between sexes. And if someone were bold enough to tell her she was wrong and should get back in the kitchen, she could school them, beat them, and fix them up.<p>

Lacey chuckled quietly at her own thought, before listening into the conversation again. The girls were talking about the things they missed before all of this happened. They all looked to Lacey after they'd each admitted to what the really wished they still had. "What?" she raised a brow.

"What do you miss, Lacey?" Amy asked, laughing slightly from her spaced out sort of tone.  
>She shrugged, "I don't know. Honestly, I just miss my brothers."<br>"Oh, come on. There's gotta be something else you miss." Jacqui nudged her with her elbow as she twisted a shirt in her grasp, forcing the water out of it.

"Umm," Lacey shifted on her feet as she thought, "I miss t.v. I guess... Cartoons and ice cream..." she mummbled.  
>"How old are you again? <em>Cartoons<em> and _ice cream_?" Andrea laughed.  
>Lacey shrugged and giggled, "Hey, it's very relaxing after long shifts at the hospital. And I'd fall asleep on the couch anyway, and as if by magic, the next morning I'm covered with a blanket and my bowl of ice cream levitated itself to the sink during the night."<p>

The girls bursted into laughter for a good minute before quieting down, and Andrea piped up again, "I miss my vibrator."  
>"Good lord!" Lacey called out with a laugh. The others giggling quietly.<br>"Me too." Carol said, and the laughter started up again.

"What's so funny." a crunch of steps led to them, and the stench of smoke filled the air.  
>Lacey growled in her throat but covered it up with a simple throat clearing.<br>"Just swapping war stories, Ed." Andrea explained, laughter still in her voice, but it all quickly faded the closer he got to them.  
>"Problem, Ed?" Andrea spoke up for the rest of them as he stared at each of them with that hatred in his eyes.<br>"None that concerns you. You oughta focus on your work. This ain't no comedy club."  
>And that was the final straw, for Andrea and Lacey, but Lacey was quicker. She had been pushed, and now the toll of the bell started the fight, the gloves were on.<p>

She chuckled deep in her throat before standing at attention, giving the man a salute, "Sir, yes, sir. Permission to get back to work, sir." Ed looked at her up and down, the glare in his eye focused just on her now, and with that look he'd usually get Carol to crumble easily, but Lacey was no Carol, and she was **not**backing down, "Why don't you get back to your work, sitting on your ass, smoking cigarettes with that shitty look on your face. As a matter of fact, why don't you help out. Share the load, help a lady out, like a man should."

By this time Lacey had dropped the shirt she was twisting onto a nearby rock to step up to this man, not even noticing Carl or Lori trudging up the trail back toward camp.

"You better watch your damn mouth, you blonde little bitch. Just 'cause you walk around with a gun and knocked out that Dixon fella doesn't mean I'm scared of you." he flicked his cigarette away, staring down at the girl that looked up at him, defiant as ever, fire in her eyes.

"Ooh really? I can do far worse that break a man's nose, Ed. Would you like to make yourself an example?" her knuckles cracked as her fists clenched tight at her sides.  
>"Lacey, don't, just forget it." Carol's quiet voice spoke from behind her. The girls had stood up and were eager and fearful to see what would happen next. Lacey was the strongest girl in the camp, they all knew it, she was like a... like a female Shane, of sorts, much nicer though...and shorter.<br>"You shut your goddamn mouth and get back to work. I ain't afraid to lay my hands on you." he stuck in finger in her face, but she didn't make any sort of move to push it away. She just moved her head to the side and spoke, matching his loud tone, "Just like you do to your wife and child? What kind of man are you? If you're a man at all."

And his hand flew, a slap to the right side of her face. She reacted quickly though, bringing her fist up like a rocket she caught his chin in an uppercut and was about to give him a left cross when she felt hands circle around her waist and she was pulled away.

More hands caught her, and she looked around to see Amy being her support, Andrea and Jacqui held onto Carol as she wailed, and that's when she realised it was Shane that had pulled her away, and he was smashing Ed's face in.

"You put your hands to your wife, your little girl, or anyone else in this camp one more time, I will **not** stop next time, do you hear me? **Do you hear me**!" Shane grabbed Ed's bloody face roughly, and the man answered in a muffled 'yes' before he shoved his face back down. He pointed a finger in his face, "I'll beat ya to death, Ed." he warned before laying in one more punch and standing up. He kicked his ribs before he walked away completely and Carol fell sobbing next to her beaten and bloodied husband.

All eyes were wide and scared, and though Lacey felt justice was served, she felt a little frightened herself.  
>"Lacey," Shane mummbled, keeping his gaze away from the other women, "Lacey, c'mon." he offered her his hand. She glanced down at Ed's mangled face, seeing as she was a part of his beating she snatched up Honey and took his hand and they started up the trail.<br>"Your lip's bleedin'." Shane spoke after a few quiet minutes, Carol's cries had finally disappeared as the distance grew between them and the quarry.

Lacey instinctively reached the back of her hand up to her mouth and found a streak of blood.  
>"Shit." she grumbled and put her hand back to her mouth, putting pressure on the wound, even if it hurt like a bitch she knew what she had to do.<br>"I'm sorry about that. Sorry you had to see that. I was just...it just..." Shane stumbled with his words.

"I know." Lacey said, resting a hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to explain." though she didn't know what the fuck had _really _come over him_, _she just said the words that would calm him down, she was a little curious though. There was no way just a slap could've set him off that bad, there must've been something else behind it, but she didn't want to pry, not yet at least.

"That man's gonna be in a heap of trouble when Ben gets back." he noted, those were the last words they shared, as well as a quiet chuckle, before the silence took over again, and they entered the camp.  
>Lori sprang up at the sight of blood on Lacey's face.<br>"What happened!"  
>"Just a little...uhh... misunderstanding with Ed." she explained, glancing past Lori to see Shane trudging to his tent, "I think he understands now, though."<p>

What the hell is going on in this new world...

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Walking Dead, the graphic novel or the show.<strong>

**A/N: I think the half chapter after this is a little more interesting then the full chapter...huh. Maybe I'm losing it.**


	17. 8 point 5

_"Lacey! Lacey, that's enough!"  
>She could hear her name being called to her, as well as other shouts and screams. She had the girl against the wall, well, against the wall on the ground now, her foot landing kick after kick.<br>"Lacey! Stop!" Lori tried to pull her away but she wouldn't budge, Robert rushed through the crowd and grabbed her around her waist and carried her off.  
>"Get that crazy bitch outta here!" one of the many onlookers shouted after the retreating three.<br>Lacey struggled against her brother's hold on her, "__**Fuck**__ you, motherfucker!"_

_She was shoved into the backseat of Lori's sedan, the door slammed just a second away from capturing her foot in it. Robbie got into the drivers seat and Lori in the passengers.  
>"What the hell is wrong with you!" Robert and Lori exploded at the same time.<br>"You saw what happened! That douche bag asshole spilled his drink on me and 'tried' to clean it off and got a good grab of my chest, then his bimbo girlfriend accused me of throwing myself at her shitty boyfriend. The bartender told us to take it outside and we did. Her two slutty friends jumped me and-"_

_"We know what happened," Robert cut her off as he took a left at the street light, out of the city and toward their small town, King County, "Yeah, we were there." Lori added._

_"Then you know what she called me, that stupid, whore, slut faced bitch." Lacey crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the window._  
><em>"Lacey, you can't just beat up 4 people in a bar parking lot. You can't." Robbie shook his head. Lacey lunged up from her seat, "She called me a cunt. You expect me to just walk away from that?"<em>

_"You know what!" Lori put her hands up in an attempt to stop anymore aggresive words, "It's fine," she looked to Rob then Lacey, "We just won't go to that bar again."_  
><em>All was quiet in the car for a few blocks until Lacey grumbled, "I didn't even break anything... and the cops weren't called."<em>

_Robert chuckled from the front seat, "Did you get hit at all?"_  
><em>"Yeah, one of them had stilletos on, kicked my calf, my leg is throbbing like a bastard." Lacey groaned and rubbed the hurt area that would no doubt have a gigantic bruise the next day.<em>

_Lori laughed, and soon giggles filled the car, "4 people at once though, that's pretty good. That's like superhero status.." Robbit admitted._  
><em>Lacey grinned and propped her feet up on the armrest between her brother and Lori, her hands clasped behind her head as she leaned back, "Yeah, just call me Catwoman."<em>

_The rest of the ride to the Grimes' home was spent joking and laughing. Lori waved them off as the Black sister and brother started for their home on foot._

_"You're an impressive little bug, you know that?" Robert slung his arm over her shoulders.  
>"Yeah," she laughed, "So I've been told."<em>

_"You sort of scared me though, back there. I thought you were gonna kill her. Thought you completely snapped, or something."  
>She looked up at him, he was serious, she shook her head with a scoff, "No. I wasn't gonna kill her. She did set me off though. But no, killing? You and I both know I couldn't kill...unless, you know, you, Jo or Ben were in danger...ya know, one of those kill or be killed sort of situations?"<br>He nodded with a snort, "Yeah. No hesistation."_

Kill or be killed. Hesistate and die. Be a surivor or be a walker. Though I have a couple more people to keep safe, I'll give every ounce I've got to protect them.

-_L.B._


	18. 9

**A/N: Finals are over! Yay! Post-celebration post! Thanks for the reviews, favs and alerts :)**

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><p><em>Robert the Lightweight &amp; Batman and Robin<em>

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><p>"Now listen, girl. I know you can handle yourself, but Ben'll never forgive me if I don't keep you safe. So if it's not too much trouble, I need you to stay here with Dale and keep watch." Shane said, his tone was slightly begging and slightly aggravated. But Lacey nodded, "Sure."<p>

"Thank you." he sighed, clapping his hands together in a grateful motion toward her, "Fix up your lip too, think the blood's scarin' your girl."  
>Lacey didn't know if she was more scared or confused about how Shane was acting. Since she'd known him he was always the joking type, looking for fun when he wasn't in Officer Mode. She didn't know who she was looking at as he walked away.<p>

"Hey Dale?" Lacey called up to the roof of the RV, finally pulling her focus away from Shane to look up to where the old man in the fisherman's hat was.  
>"Lacey, what can I- What happened to your lip there, sweetheart?"<br>"Just some confusion down at the lake, everything's fine now. Do you have anything I could put on this cut?"  
>"Sure, sure. Hang on." and for such an old man he moved quickly, climbing down the ladder and rushing into the RV to find what small amount of medical supplies he had.<p>

"Are you sure you're alright?"  
>"Dale, I promise you, I've been in much nastier fights than this. It's just a flesh wound." she said with a grin, fixing an umbrella to a lawn chair so she and Honey wouldn't get baked in the bright summer sunlight.<p>

He nodded, but he wasn't truly convinced, Lacey knew the look, she remembered her Dad had given her that look tons of times. But he turned away from her anyway, peering through his binoculars, the constant look out for the camp. After a few minutes he grumbled to himself before addressing Lacey, "I'll be back, gotta, uhh, check something, think you can take over for a while?" he asked as he passed the binoculars to her.

"Sure. Where're you going?" she adjusted Honey to sit in the chair by herself as she stood up and looked around to where Dale had been moments ago.  
>"Nothing serious, I think. Jim's over there on that hill, I'm just gonna see what's up." Dale explained, he was a worry-er, it was evident, his eyes gave away all his emotions.<p>

Lacey nodded and took up the old man's job, ignoring the sting and throb in her cheek when she bumped the binoculars against her face before raising them to her eyes.  
>"Well...it's come to this, Honey. We're watchmen... Standing on rooftops and looking over our city, protecting the civilians..." Lacey put the binoculars down for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face, "No wait. We're Batman! A silent protector, a dark knight... you'll be Robin, my pint sized sidekick." she shook her head, "Man, I'm delusional...I miss t.v."<p>

A few hours passed, and Andrea and Amy waltzed into camp, brandishing their catch proudly.  
>"Woah!" Carl called at the number of the fish, there was enough to feed the entire camp.<br>"Yeah, woah. Where'd you learn to do that?" Lori commented with a chuckle.  
>"Our dad." Amy smirked happily.<br>"Could you teach me?" Carl wondered, mystified.  
>"Yeah. Teach you all about nail knots and stuff." Amy grinned to her sister.<p>

Lacey took her eyes away from the binoculars and looked down see Dale walking slowly into camp, the momentary joyfulness left at the sight of his face.  
>"I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem." he spoke to the camp, but put his focus on to Shane, the lawman. He turned to the direction of where Jim was, every one followed his gaze, Lacey turned and looked with magnified sight. Jim was digging...why?<p>

"Lacey, stay here." Shane ordered and the entire group trailed after him as he started toward the hill where Jim was.  
>"Where's everyone going?" Robert's voice called, and the group turned to him, before looking back up to Lacey, a bruise had formed on her face, and the corner of her mouth where her split lip was was still a little swollen.<br>The three dogs that were with him dispersed around the camp, Blue into Ben and Robbie's tent, Rocket into Lacey and JoJo's and Blondie sat near the ladder of the RV.

"There's a minor problem with Jim, gonna check it out. Stay here and back up your sister, Rob." Shane said, not even glancing at the Black brother as he continued on, the entire camp still following.  
>Robert shrugged and climbed up the ladder.<br>"What's wrong with Jim?"  
>Lacey shook her head, "Dunno. He's been digging holes all afternoon."<br>"Huh." Robert mummbled, picking up Honey before sitting in the chair and placing her on his lap.

"Lace."  
>She stiffened, automatically knowing the tone in his voice. Concerned brother tone. '<em>Here it comes.<em>'  
>"What's wrong? Why won't you look at me?"<br>"Keeping watch." she answered simply.  
>"You can look away for a few seconds, c'mon, Lace."<p>

She groaned, and let the binoculars hang from the strap around her neck, there was no way of avoiding it anyway, she turned and moved some hair that had escaped her pony tail behind her ear.  
>Robert sat up, almost not believing the discoloration on her face was real.<br>"Lacey James, what the fuc-"  
>"It wasn't something I couldn't handle. Shane beat the tar out of him anyway, so don't worry about it. It'll heal up in a few days."<p>

Robbie seemed to sift through the people in camp who were capable of something like this, "Ed." he seemed to growl after a moment.  
>"Robbie, please don't. It doesn't matter. He slapped me and I punched him, we're even and he's lucky enough to still be breathing. Just leave it."<p>

Robert's knee bounced in his anxious manner before he bursted, "I can't believe he would do something like that. Doing that to his wife and child is bad enough, but to a complete _stranger_? A complete stranger that's a** major **part of the protection of this camp? **I mean**! Where the_ hell _does he get off thinking he's this _master of everything_. He doesn't do **shit **around here besides smoke. You'd think the **dead** coming back to life to feast on the living would snap him straight, ya know? Into a right state of mind..." Robert paused before shouting again, "Fuck! That pisses me off. I mean, what a total bag of shit that guy is...How bad did Shane beat him?"  
>Lacey pulled a wince, "Pretty bad. Bursted some blood vessels in his eye, too much bruising and swelling to even tell who he is."<br>Robert snorted, "Serves him right."...

"The man was digging holes, who cares? He wasn't hurting anybody. Just ignore it. That's what I do. Ignore, ignore, ignore." Robert, who had been given a couple beers while taking up watch with Lacey on the roof, was starting to slur his words, he was a lightweight, he couldn't help himself. Since he turned 21 all he could handle was a max of 4 beers, and that's only beers. Get some hard liquor into him, and he's out in a half an hour.

"Yeah," Lacey agreed, she wasn't really listening, her eyes were searching frantically and her heart pounded hard against her ribs. It was getting dark, the fish was frying around the fire pit and slowly everyone was taking their seats around it, but the guys still weren't back, "I hear ya." she mummbled.

"Lacey! Rob! Why don't ya'll come down here and get somethin' to eat?" Shane called up to them.  
>"Be right there." Robbie's words jumbled together and Lacey sighed, before calling back down to Shane, "Someone want to be by the ladder? He's had a few drinks. Might need to catch him."<br>Lacey took up Honey into her arms and climbed down after Rob had safely planted both his feet on the ground. The tray was passed around and everyone was able to have an entire fish to themselves.

Stories were shared for a while until quiet fell around the fire, and for a moment Lacey feared she was going to be asked to sing. She honestly wasn't up for entertaining at the moment, in fact, with each minute those men weren't back from Atlanta, the more scared she became. The fear twisting her stomach was getting close to painful now.

But then the question of Dale's watch was sparked, everyone wondering why he still wound his watch every day even though the world had pretty much gone to shit. But he seemed prepared to defend his daily ritual, "I like what, uh, father said to son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations. He said 'I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me, I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it.'"

All was quiet around the fire again, everyone trying to consider Dale's words, but Amy spoke up and summed it up for all of them, "You are so weird."  
>Laughter flitted through the air.<br>"It's not me, it's Faulkner. William Faulkner. Maybe my bad paraphrasing." Dale shrugged with a smile.

"Oh. Looks like someone got bored of Dale's story." Lori noted, pointing her fork toward Robbie who held a soundly sleeping Honey in one arm against his chest.  
>"Well, I guess my stories are good for something." Dale chuckled to Lacey, who nodded, "Thanks for that."<p>

Robbie stood up, passing his empty plate to his sister before heading to the RV. Dale had insisted on the baby sleeping in there until 'Ma' was ready to take her to bed with her.  
>Amy stood up a moment later, heading toward the RV Robbie had just disappeared into.<br>"Where're you going?" Andrea asked. "I have to pee, jeez. Try to be descreet around here." Amy joked and continued on her way to the bathroom.

Lacey put the empty plates down, noticing a stillness and quiet in the forest air aside from the clinking of utensils on plates and mummblings between family members, the quiet always made her anxious, so she picked up the shotgun next to Robbie's chair.

"Lacey? What's wrong?" Shane asked quietly, that's when Rocket started to bark, at what, no one was sure. Amy opened the door to the RV, Robert stood behind her, waiting to step out.  
>"We're out of toilet paper!" she called.<br>Rocket bolted toward her, or what they thought was her until they saw the walker.  
>He reached out to Amy.<br>"Robbie!" Lacey shouted, and he reacted instantly, pulling the blonde back into the RV and slamming the door shut just as Rocket rocketed into the walker.  
>Lacey took up the shotgun, taking her aim as more walkers seemed to materialise from the woods.<br>"Get to the RV!" Shane shouted, taking his gun up.  
>Lacey took her aim, fighting the shaking in her limbs, she took out two walkers as she made her way to the RV, Rocket kept the walker down until she called the dog off, the canine stepped off the walker and Lacey shot it in the face point blank.<p>

She swept her surroundings, seeing Rocket run off to take down another walker, the area was safe for the moment. She knocked quickly on the door, Robbie appeared a moment later, bat in hand.  
>"Honey's okay?" she asked as they stayed in front of the door.<br>"Yeah."  
>"And Amy?"<br>"She's fine. She just passed out."  
>The two guarded the RV door, shooting and hitting whatever they could while still blocking the entrance. Lacey ran out of shells quick, and was about to use the gun to smash skulls in when she saw them. Ben, JoJo, T-Dog, Glenn, Rick and Daryl.<p>

Most of camp had made their way to RV, and the group who'd gone to the city came into the carnage, taking care of what was left.  
>Rick called for his wife and Carl, JoJo sprinted to his sister, hugging her tightly before doing the same to Robbie.<br>Ben stared around the site...taking in the sight of his family, seeing the weren't dead or bit, he nodded.

"Lacey!" Daryl just barely screamed as his eyes searched the darkness, a quiet filled the air after all the ringing of bullets had stopped, but a moment later the crying of children could be heard and the whimpering of survivors over lost ones.

"Daryl!" her voice sent his heart racing even faster as she ran toward him.  
>He didn't let go of the gun in his hand as he wrapped her up in his arms, kissing the top of her head when he felt her shaking.<br>"Where's baby girl?" he asked after Lacey's shaking had lessened, a moment later a soft cry answered his question.  
>"In the RV." she mummbled and stepped inside, Daryl on her heels.<p>

Her cries were genuine but still quiet in sound, Lacey picked her up and held her close, shushing her softly as she looked up at Daryl, a burning question in her eyes, 'What are we going to do now?'  
>He inhaled deeply through his nose before sighing through his mouth, shaking his head, "I don't know."<p>

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own Walking Dead, not the graphic novel and certainly not the show.<strong>

**A/N: Kind of short. Questions, comments, concerns? Oh and by the way, if you see a like grammatical mistake, please tell me so I can fix it ;D sometimes I'm not the best editor.**


	19. 9 point 5

In all the fights I've been in I've never ever been close to killing someone. Hell, I made sure I didn't hurt them too bad by kicking and punching the areas I knew wouldn't send them internally bleeding or bleeding out in the ER. That night out with Lori and Robbie, that night I had scared myself, I'd lost control. And I might've actually killed the slut that called me a cunt if Robert hadn't've pulled me away. I tried hard not to get into anymore fights after that. I wasn't a killer, I worked in a hospital, for goodness sake, I was a healer. But look at me now... what this world has turned me into...

But it's like I said to Robert, that understanding we had on the way home. If they're in danger...

These are people though...well...they were people. And taking a life should make me feel like complete shit... but each time I kill a walker... I don't feel anything. No regret, no sadness, nothing. No emotion.

Does that make me a monster? Or...or the sort of person that needs to be around in a time like this...

The sort of person that will stand up and do what needs to be done... no matter who or what's in the way... Is that what I've really become? Some, like, warrior princess? (Lacey Black, aka, Xena, fuck yeah!)

I can never look at the bodies after though... that must mean something. Some sort of feeling after a kill... so I'm not a total psychopath.

God, I hope this ends soon.

There's a breaking point for all of us, we know it. But what we don't know is when that moment when we break is going to happen.

Sure, I've screamed at my brother, broke (and reset) Merle Dixon's nose, and socked Ed Peletier in the jaw, but I don't think a good fuck in the woods is ever going to be enough to distract me from the reality of it all. Those moments weren't even close to my breaking point... and I'm horrified to even think about what will actually cause me to completely lose my cool...

I'm the warrior princess, damn it. I'm supposed to be a... an example or something... a leader, or the person that people look to for help. I can't lose my cool, ever. I need to be calm, I need to be zen as fuck and stay that way, no matter what...

...Shit, what am I talking about...

-_L.B._


	20. 10

**A/N: So here's the thing. I had a little virus scare yesterday and today. It totally fucked up my computer, I couldn't open a browser, I couldn't open a word document, nothing. It SUCKED! But I worked some magic and now I got my computer back to normal :D So here I am updating! Enjoy!**

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><p><em>Would You Come Back?  Safe_

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><p>"He's gone? What...What do you mean he's gone?" Lacey, having been shaken far too deeply to even think of sleep, was speaking in whispers with Daryl.<p>

He shrugged, "He wasn't there. Sawed off his hand, cauterised the stump and stole the van."  
>Lacey let out an airy chuckle, "Holy<em> shit<em>..."  
>"Yeah. He's a tough sumbitch."<p>

She sat up a little, "But _**I**_ did send him on his ass and broke his nose." she pointed out.  
>"He's got <em>one<em> hand now, _stole_ one of our vehicles and is _completely_ on his own now and you're gloatin' about beatin' him up?" he raised a brow.  
>"All I'm saying is he's tough, but <strong>me<strong>, Little Ol' Lacey, put him in this place."  
>Daryl laughed, "You're some kind of woman."<br>"And don't you forget it." she pointed a finger at him jokingly.

A silence passed over them for a few minutes before she broke it, "Think he'll come back here?" Lacey wondered, Shane catching her eye as he climbed down from atop of the roof of the RV and passing next watch off to Ben.  
>Daryl snorted, "Would you come back here? To the people who cuffed you to a roof, left to die? C'mon, darlin', use that brain a'yours."<p>

She nodded, a small frown on her mouth, "'Spose your right...but...wouldn't he at least come back for you?"  
>He shrugged and laid down in the bed of his truck, hands folded under his head, the muscles in his arms making Lacey close to drooling.<br>"I'd come back for you...if I was him." she mummbled quietly, leaning down to lay on her side next to Daryl.

He propped himself up on his forearms, searching her face in the moonlight he saw the sincerity in her, "Hard as nails, but you got a good heart...you're a strange one, girly." his fingers brushed against the bruise on her cheek, his thumb ghosting a touch over her split lip. He was beyond furious about what Ed had done to her, but...seeing as he was eaten by walkers, there wasn't anything he could really do about it now.

She reached her hand to cover his, her fingers interlocked with his, he noticed as she did this, she had a cautious air about her. After about a month of knowing this girl he knew certain things that were definite about her, she wasn't shy, she wasn't easily scared, and she was not cautious.

A smile pulled on her lips, her green eyes connecting with his blues, "Yeah, but that's why you like me."  
>He rolled his eyes and let his head fall back down.<br>Though when he thought about it...she was right.

The next day was spent grieving, burying, burning and deciding.  
>Lacey volunteered to take the kids away during this time. Taking them down to the quarry she entertained them the best she could, telling stories.<br>All the children laughed as she ended a particular story about bras in a freezer, glued quarters on the floor, and a pair of rollerskates with no brakes.

"Hey, Lace!" Ben's voice echoed into the area where they all sat on a blanket near the waters edge.  
>Lacey looked over, all the innocent eyes looked over too.<br>"We, uh, we could use your help up here." he said, wary of the kids.  
>"Is it all cleared up there?"<br>"Mostly. Come on, Lace, Jim needs your help."

With that said, Lacey picked up Honey and the blanket and the kids followed her like she was the mother duck. "What's the deal?" she whispered, passing the blanket to Ben.  
>"Jim's uh...he got bit. And your <em>boyfriend<em> tried to put a pick axe through his head. Rick put him up in the RV, we're thinking you can try and help him ya know, ease the pain at least."  
>"He's not my boyfriend, Ben. Don't get that tone with me, I'm 27, not 16, I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do."<br>"More like who you can do." he grumbled in disgust.  
>"Ben. This isn't the time or the place, so just shut your mouth."<p>

The bodies were being loaded into the back of Daryl's truck, each was wrapped up, sparing everyone from the gore.  
>Lacey passed Honey off to Jo and stepped into the RV and moved to the back. She was in nurse mode now.<p>

"Hey, Jim. How're you feeling?" she winced right after the words left her and sat down next to him, "Sorry, that was a really stupid thing to say. I'm just used to saying that in the hospital...How are you feeling though? What are you feeling, I should ask."

"Uhm," his voice cracked and she reached for the bucket of water, she stood up and grabbed a cup from the sink and filled it up for him.  
>"You're good at this." he mummbled after a long drink.<br>"It was my job to take care of people. I can sort of read the signs." she smiled smally and reached a hand to his forehead.  
>"You're burning up." she stated and went in search for clothe to dunk in the water and put on his skin in hopes of cooling him down, knowing there really was no hope for him though, unless there actually was a cure at the CDC.<p>

"Thought it was a little warm in here." Jim's words mixed together, and he coughed some before Lacey put the clothe on his head.  
>"It's not much, but hopefully it'll make you feel better some."<p>

"Lace?" a voice called from the door, she turned, it was Jo, "We're about to go bury the bodies."  
>She nodded and turned back to Jim, "Jim? Will you be alright on your own for a little bit?"<br>"Yeah, yeah. I'll be okay. I'll just, uhh, I'll just rest my eyes." as Jim spoke his eye lids fell closed and it seemed he'd fallen asleep instantly.  
>Lacey bit her lip, the side that wasn't split, and refilled his cup and moved it into reaching distance for him before she exited the RV and took her younger brother's offered hand.<p>

Daryl backed his truck up the entire way, and they all followed, like weary soldiers marching.  
>Arriving at the burial site, almost everyone could hear the two officers and the redneck speaking, mainly the redneck.<p>

"These people need to know who's in charge here. What the rules are." he stated.  
>"There are no rules." Rick countered, sweat pouring off of him with each turn of his head or step of his foot. Lacey could tell he wasn't fully recovered, during his coma he'd lost a considerable amount of weight, and if Shane's story proved it right, Rick didn't have any sort of nurtrition pumping through his system for the past month. He was underweight, under fed, overstressed and overworked, he needed to relax and he needed to eat. But in a world like this, that was close to impossible.<p>

"That's the problem. We haven't had one minute to hold onto anything of our old selves. We need time to mourn and bury our dead. It's what people do." Lori spoke, bringing the humanity out of everyone.

Each body was put into a grave, tears were shed, and when the dirt was replaced, everyone moved back to camp.

"Go and catch up with JoJo, I gotta discuss somethings with you mom, okay?" Rick's quiet voice reached Lacey's ears, and a few seconds later she saw Carl running past her, down the trail to tug on Jo's shirt while he was talking to Amy.

"Can we talk now?" Ben's voice startled her, she gasped and then glared at him, "No, we can't. 'Cause you're just gonna tell me how wrong I am, and how stupid and reckless I'm being, and what I _should_do."

"You _are _being reckless and stupid! You're boyfriend is a psycho, he tried to kill Jim, it's only a matter of time before he tries to kill you. I mean! You don't even know him! We've only been in this camp for a few weeks, and you're both all over each other. **Think** for one fucking second and realise what you're doing! You're a nice girl, I know it, we all know it, but sometimes you just need to stop being nice, Lacey, just stop and understand just what the hell you're doing."  
>"He's not my goddamn boyfriend-"<br>Ben was quick to cut her off, he found if he got all his words out he'd overwhelm her and he'd win the fight, "Oh, fine then, what should I call him? Fuck buddy? I saw the mark on your shoulder, and I've they way he puts his hands on you. It's just the same as every other guy you've led to bed. You've always been a charity worker, Lace. Ever since you were little you'd give things away to the less fortunate. But you **do not** need to give _yourself_ to _him_!"

Cutting Lacey off wasn't his best strategy, her face was red and it looked like steam was going to come out of her ears any second, "You don't know what the _hell _you're talking about! **We are the less fortunate**, you ignorate tool! And at least I'm capable of establishing relationships! What ever happened to all those girlfriends from high school? You haven't had a date in 12 years! And I'll kiss and sleep with whoever I want, it's the end of the **fucking** world, _Ben_, in case you haven't noticed. A prime example presented itself to us last night. The dead come back to life, they want to devour us, we shoo them or they bite us and then we die and turn into them. It's the new fucked up circle of life, but we're surviving it, so _ex-__**fucking-**__cuse me _if I feel like knocking boots with someone who relieves some of the tension and stress and makes me feel special again. Just because you're lonely and an asshole doesn't mean we all have to be that way!"

Another Ben and Lacey fight. With a full audience again. And Lacey had won again.  
>She stomped away from him after 15 seconds of silence filled the air, wondering when he'd finally give up and leave her be.<p>

The next hour consisted of where the group would move onto next. Fort Benning or the CDC, both were very risky and both held no promise of salvation. But in the end, with Shane's support, the decision was made, they'd head into Atlanta to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rick left a note on the Mustang before the caravan got prepared to set out after rules about radios were established and if any problems occurred on the road what should be done.

"Hey."  
>Lacey turned to see Daryl, that shy look on his again, sometimes she adored that look, but times like this, when she was irritated, she just wanted to slap it off his face. She nodded at him, waiting for him to continue.<br>"Wanna ride with me?...Heard you fight with your brother again."  
>"Yeah," she snickered, "Everyone did. We Black's have a loudness about us."<br>He nodded, waiting for her to continue now.

"Nah, I'll ride with Jo and Amy, van's got enough room. But umm, think my dogs could catch a lift from you?" she laughed toward the end of her request.  
>"Sure." he nodded, only mildly stung by her rejection.<br>"Thanks." she stepped forward and took his face into her hands and kissed him the way she'd kissed him the very first time, hard and needy, but this time he responded, with a little less than her vigor, but still, it seemed to satisfy her. The way they were kissing, he thought, would surely make onlookers uncomfortable, but the way her teeth were nibbling on his bottom lip, he couldn't give a shit what other people felt. She pulled away, her hand on his chest as she smiled smally and with what seemed like reluctance her hand fell away from where she could feel his heart pounding beneath her fingers, and she walked to the van.

The vehicles met the end of the trail, meeting paved road now. Morales and his family went in the direction of Birmingham where they had family they wanted to be with, and the rest went to Atlanta.

Jim couldn't last any longer, if there was a cure, he didn't want it. In his momentary sane state of mind he told Rick he wanted to be left behind, so he could join his family. They obliged the dead man's request. And yet again, like the funeral hours ago, tearful goodbyes were shared with Jim.

Lacey, giving her goodbye, apologised for not being able to ease his pain like she'd hoped, he assured her there wasn't really anything she could do, her well praticed skills were only wasted on him. He encouraged her to help the others when it was called for, telling her to never trade those nursing skills in for something else. She nodded, her watery eyes never letting a tear fall as she wandered over to Daryl's truck. Blondie, Rocket and Blue manuvered around Merle's bike toward Lacey, she pet each of their heads, offering them water while they waited for the rest of the farewells.

"Someone wants to talk to ya." Daryl's voice came from behind her, and she found him with Honey in his arms, "Ma." she mummbled, a hint of sadness in her tone.  
>Lacey chuckled before moving closer to the two and planting a kiss on her cheek, "Ma's fine. I promise, baby girl."<p>

The vehicles started up again, arriving at the CDC after several long hours.  
>The entire area was corpse-ridden. It smelled of death and looked like a complete lose concerning salvation.<br>"Come on." Lacey ushered the dogs from Daryl's truck, her nose scrunching as she walked along the path to the CDC doors. The stench of the bodies was overpowering, she used her shirt to cover Honey's nose and stuck close to Daryl who kept her in front of him at all times, gun and crossbow in hand, the dogs trailed behind her, Blondie and Rocket on her heels, while Blue kept close to JoJo.

They all kept close together, moving quietly and quickly, all the way up to the doors that were shut, with no way of opening them from the outside.  
>"Shit." Lacey whimpered, keeping Honey's face inward to her chest.<p>

"There's no one here." T-Dog said, the fear already escalating in all of them.  
>"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick tried to keep everyone calm, trying to make sense of it all.<br>"Walker!" JoJo called, his hand was linked tightly to Amy's, bat in the other.

Daryl took care of it easily before turning back to Rick, "You led us into a graveyard!"  
>"He made a call." Dale defended.<br>"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl bursted ready to get into Rick's face, "Shut up! You hear me! You just shut up!" Shane stepped in between them and turned back to Rick, "It's a dead end. You hear me? No blame."

That's when it started to get worse, the sun was setting and their location was noted by several walkers.  
>"We can't be this close to the city after dark."<br>"Fort Benning, Rick. Still an option."  
>Lacey was barely listening to their words, her focus was on the walkers approaching them and the light leaving the sky. They'd have to make a mad dash to the cars to escape this.<br>"Let's go!" someone cried and they started to run for it.

"The camera moved! I saw it, it moved!" Rick, like Lacey had thought before, had become delusional in his serverely weakened state, he banged on the door, shouting at the camera, telling it it was killing us.  
>"Rick! Come on!" Robert urged, pulling Lacey and JoJo by the arm.<br>But then, literally, a light in the darkness, the shutter door rolled up and blinding light shined on them. Each as stunned as the next, they didn't waste their time in running in. Rick's call was right. They were finally saved.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Walking Dead. Not the graphic novel and not the show : \<strong>


	21. 10 point 5

I've witnessed the walk of shame more than a few times in my home, well,_ out _of my home. Thankfully I've never had that experience, I bet it sucks though. The messed up hair, the smudged make up, putting the clothes you wore from last night back on. A total disaster for all the world to see until you finally get home. Yeah, I've never done that.

There was a time when Ben was a 'ladies' man, I couldn't understand it, but then again, seeing the girls that walked through the living room, giving a curteous greeting and goodbye to me as I ate my cereal on the couch watching cartoons, I could definitely see why.

He usually went for the dumb girls. And I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but they were usually blonde, some natural, some dyed, and I'm not saying all blonde girls are dumb, I mean, heh, look at me, I'm a freakin' genius (Only kidding, A and B's, but I'm not trying to brag or anything). But these girls. It was all through Ben's time in high school, so I was like, 10-14 during all of this. I'd watch them stumble in, being all gross and all over each other, then just the girl would leave the next morning.

They were pretty, I'd give him that, but he never had a stable relationship. The longest he dated a girl was a month, and even then she'd come to me and ask me what his deal was and if there was something he was hiding. I didn't know what to tell them, Ben was a... reserved sort of guy. He'll jump into bed in a snap, but he is very guarded. And he still is kind of guarded. Well... sometimes it seems like a lot. But everytime he gets on my case about something, when he thinks he's all knowing and I'm his ditzy little sister, it makes me go insane. He barely, just barely graduated high school. Oh, and why _**just**_ _barely_ do you ask?

Because he'd go out drinking, sleep with girls, and wake up at the crack of noon every other night, since his junior year.

But after high school that all seemed to change, he turned into this weird, sort of, drill sergeant guy. Up and in everyone's buisness, making sure everything was on schedule and everyone was alright. When that transition happened I wasn't sure if I liked newBen and missed partyBen.

I wish there was like a middle ground, but there isn't with Ben, he's always so serious, so strict and sometimes a real prick.

I mean, Daryl's a good guy. He's got a short fuse, but he's nice... to me... and Honey... and a few choice other people... All I'm saying is at least I didn't take after my brother, some surly, horny, teenaged drunk to... a total twat.

I mean, what an asshole for calling me out like that, saying I led guys into bed. _Sometimes_ that's the ultimate goal, but come on! He must've have brought in half the girl population of King County High School into his bedroom... dick.

Daryl's not an idiot either! Like all the girls he had, they were dumb, dumb, dummies.  
>And he's not a killer, he's a survivor, and he's good at what he does, and he's good with babies, and uhh...other stuff (that involves no pants), but what I'm trying to say is...<p>

Ben is a dick. Daryl is... not a dick.

Robert is as level headed as he usually is. Jo is branching out. And I'm... what am I doing?

Oh yeah! I'm mothering an orphan I call Honey, I'm protecting the people in my group and I'm nursing a slap I got to the face, earning a bruise and split lip (which by the way, Carol later told me I was the bravest women she ever met, and she felt bad that I got the hit that was meant for her. I reassured her all was fine, better me than her or Sophia, I said).

Sometimes all this shit is just unbelievable. Something else that's unbelievable, salvation at the CDC.

-_L.B._


	22. 11

**A/N: Hope you all enjoy it. I find the majority of this chapter will be thoroughly enjoyed...though...I could be lying... why don't you tell me, readers? :) Happy Holidays! :)**

* * *

><p><em>Salvation: <em>_Day__ Night One._

* * *

><p>The <em>welcoming <em>voice of the reason of their safekeeping emerged with a heavy gun, sweat pants and a t-shirt, "Anybody infected?" he called. Of course, 'Hello's' and 'How do you do's' were out of the question now in this world.

"One of our group was...he didn't make it." Rick answered, just as terrified of their savior as the rest were.  
>"Why are you here? What do you want?" the man asked.<p>

The group left Rick to do all the answering, since this was his call, and he was techinically the leader, let the spokesperson speak.  
>"A chance." he put simply. It really was that simple, just a chance.<p>

"That's asking an awful lot these days." the man said, before finally stepping into the light, he looked over the group, his gaze falling particularly on the children, he lingered on Honey, a look that gave away dismay fell over his features before he spoke again, "You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission."

"We can do that." Rick nodded, a relief washed over all of them and their weapons fell from their aim.

"You get stuff you need to bring in, you get it now. Once those doors close they stay closed."

Daryl kept his arm around Lacey the entire time they were in the elevator until they reached the room where blood was going to be drawn. Introductions were given there, but it seemed like Dr. Edwin Jenner didn't really care.

"You're a nurse?" he asked before sticking the needle into Lacey's arm, she winced before nodding.  
>"Well...<em>was<em> a nurse, I don't know if professional titles really matter in this world anymore." Lacey watched her blood flow down through the tube, but looked away before her eyes reached the little bottle at the end, "I was an LPN at Grady Memorial Hospital."

"That's not too far from here... So you know what was going on in the hospitals when _it_started." Jenner replied, noting her slight squeamishness toward her blood, he wondered how a nurse could be that way around blood... maybe it was just her own blood.

"Kind of. Just the symptoms. I know nothing at the hospital could cure it, it was way out of our hands." she sighed.  
>"Yeah," Jenner mummbled, pulling the needle out and putting a cotton swab on the puncture hole, "you're right about that."<br>"Are you going to take blood from the dogs too?" Sophia wondered, and Lacey smiled at her curiousity. At Sophia's age Lacey wasn't soft spoken and curious, at 12 years old kicking ass and taking names. But there was a point when Lacey was innocent, but that was a long, long time ago.

"No," Jenner spoke, standing up, Lacey had been the final person to have blood taken, "No, animals don't get infected. But that one looks sort of sickly, and very skinny." he nodded toward Blondie who was laying beside Rocket.  
>"She hasn't been properly fed in weeks...none of us have." JoJo explained. Jenner nodded, a look of thought on his face.<p>

Food was served, wine was poured, glasses clinked and a hum of amusement hung in the air. Lacey sat between her Jo and Rob, Honey sat on Rob's lap as laughter and stories were shared around the table.  
>"Hey, you know what I just realised," Jacqui spoke up, "Lacey didn't treat us to a song the other night during dinner."<br>A grumbling of agreeance came around the table and Lacey was guzzling down the rest of the wine in her glass just before Dale raised his own glass to her, "How 'bout a song, Ms. Black?"

"Oh no, don't ask her to sing when she's drunk, she always sings-" JoJo put his hands up to stop the others from trying to get to sing again, but it was far too late.

"_So let them say your hair's too long  
>'Cause I don't care, with you I can't go wrong<br>Then put your little hand in mine  
>There ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb.<em>" Lacey sang lazily as she stood up with her empty glass, circling the table until she came to the counter top Glenn sat at.

For the rest of the song she managed to climb onto the counter top, and sang into an empty bottle of wine. Having traded her glass for the bottle in Glenn's hands before haphazardly climbing onto the counter with help from using his shoulder as leverage. Quiet laughter and giggles filled the air, while her brothers covered their faces in shame, though their shoulders shook with laughter, telling everyone that they weren't as embarrassed as they seemed.

Even Ben was laughing. The food, the drinks and atmosphere had changed everyone's attitudes, and the memory of their fight seemed to fade away. Every person seemed to feel a little less scared and a lot more safe. And as Lacey's song ended, the group clapped and whistled, Honey even slapped her hands together, learning from the others example.  
><em><br>_"Thank you. Thank you. No, please, that's enough, thank you." she mummbled with a drunken smile.  
>"Alright, <em>Cher<em>, down you come." Ben chuckled as he stood up from his seat and walked over to the counter, Lacey nearly fell into his arms, and he set her on her feet again, taking the bottle away from her as he did.  
>"I think it's safe to say, when Cher comes out, you've had your fill."<br>The group laughed along with him as Lacey took her seat again.

"You're so embarrassing." Jo whispered, a blush on his cheeks, while Amy and Andrea continued to laugh next to him.  
>"Embarrassing? I think you're mistaken. The word you're looking for it <em>awesome<em>." Lacey poked his cheek, her original aim being his nose, but it was close enough, "Who else will make a fool of themselves for the joy of others?"  
>He rolled his eyes, "You're still weird."<br>"Whatever, you know you're having a good time with your big sister."

But the good time stopped only a minute later, when Shane raised the question of why Jenner was the only doctor here.

The other staff had run off to be with their families and try to find safety, others 'opted out', as he delicately put it, while he chose to stay here and keep working.  
>It was awkwardly quiet again, some sipped at their drinks while others sent a look at Shane. The rest of the dinner was spent in silence.<p>

Jenner led them to a hall of rooms, explaining how most of the facility powered down, and they would have to sleep in these rooms, since housing was closed up. Lacey walked alongside Glenn and T-Dog, the kids walked in front of her and her brothers lagged behind, Robert had Honey and Daryl was all the way in the back.

"Couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you like. There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy. Just don't plug in the video games, okay? Or anything that draws power." Jenner addressed Carl and Sophia, who nodded in agreement.

"The same applies- if you shower go easy on the hot water." and with that Jenner continued to walk down the hall, leaving the group to do as they pleased.  
>"Hot water?" Glenn grinned widely.<br>"That's what the man said." T-Dog's smile matched the Korean boys.

"Lacey, will you come with us to the rec room?" Carl spun on his heel to look up at Lacey, she patted his head, "I think we all could do with a shower first. But after, yes, I'll definitely come with you guys." she looked at Carl and Sophia, each nodding with a pleased smile before moving in search for the parents.

"'Ey Lace! Why don't we save some water and you come shower with me?" Daryl called from down the hall and sent a wink her way. His attempt to embarrass Lacey and everyone else went as planned, as far as 'everyone else' went, the group rolled their eyes, or groaned in disgust, but to his surprise Lacey's reaction backfired on him, she shrugged and with a simple grin nodded, "Sure."

Her brother's were close to gagging, JoJo letting out a dramatic, "Eeew!" as she moved through the crowd, claimed a room and took Daryl by the wrist and pulled him in before kicking the door shut behind them.

Lacey was still drunk, she wasn't as bad as Robert after a few beers, though, she'd drank half a wine bottle by herself, and upon discovery that their were other types of alcohol available, such as Southern Comfort, which was her favorite since discovering it on her 24th birthday, she claimed a couple bottles for herself.

But alcohol wasn't on her mind at the moment. She had Daryl, alone, in a _room_, a _**room**_, to themselves. No one had been inside a proper, non-ransacked building in a couple months. Hot water, soap, shampoo, air conditioning, couches, carpet, sinks, mirrors, _FOOD_... it was heaven.

She pushed Daryl against the wall, kissing him in a rough, sloppy manner, as she tried to take control, but her motor skills were failing her. She legs were like jelly and she was clumsy.

Daryl didn't know her as clumsy, he didn't know her drunk, these were two new Lacey's he was meeting. But something he did know was that she had agreed to '_sometime_', and this was **the **time.

Daryl, the less drunk and coherent of the couple, switched their positions and took over. She seemed to stablise easier against the wall, with his hands on her to keep her from falling.

His hands, hands that held weapons that killed walkers, dangerous things, but at the same time, gentle things, hands that she held, hands that held Honey as if she were made of glass. Daryl's hands were hands that made her feel safe. But right now they were hands that were setting her body on fire.

His fingers skimmed against her curves, pulling her shirt over her head as he went.  
>His hands, though determind, grew slightly shakey... from the alcohol? He wasn't sure, but then as his fingers took her bare flesh, he realised... the last time they did this it was in the middle of the woods, they been fully clothed and it was over in just 15 minutes. Neither had seen the other naked...well, <em>completely<em>naked, technicalities coming from Lacey's dancing days.

And like some sort of awkward teenager, Daryl started to get nervous. All that liquid courage seemed to disappear from him, but he kept on, acting like the man, and letting his palms lay flat against her bare skin. She was so warm and soft, and so soon to be completely naked with him.

The thought kept occurring in his mind, though he tried to block it out and remain cool headed. His body wasn't something he was proud of, and he was sure some sort of bad reaction would come from it when Lacey finally saw. Without his knowledge he started distancing himself from her.

"What's wrong?" she pulled away, her eyes tried to keep their focus as her hands took his face, "You're pulling away from me and you're shaking."

"Just, uhh, kinda nervous 'bout you...ya know, seein' me." Daryl chewed on his lip.  
>"Well, we can't shower in the dark. I've tried, it doesn't pan out well." she grinned, "And I'm sure with two people it'd be totally catastrophic."<p>

He offered a small smile, and she sighed, "Listen to me. You're the finest man in camp. Seriously, you've got it made with your bod." that goofy-ness in her tone again, the slurring making its exit from her speech.  
>He shook his head and fought against his nerves, he lifted his shirt over his head and showed her what he was embarrassed of.<p>

Her eyes fell to his chest, then his stomach...There were so many scars...instinctively she reached her hand out to touched them, she stammered, "H-how?"  
>"You disgusted with me?"<p>

"Of course not." Lacey shook her head instantly, and looked into his eyes, her answer was genunine, he could see it. He doubted she could see the ugly in anyone, like, she looked past the bad and only saw the good in people. Though he honestly didn't care what she thought of other people, he cared about what she thought about him, and from what she expressed through her eyes, he found that confidence again.

"A story for another time." he said, visibly and physically less nervous when he took her face into his hands and claimed her mouth in a way he knew she liked. Lacey responded just how he figured she would, practically melting against him, he'd never had that effect on a woman, it felt nice.

The alcohol on their tongues mingled, creating a whole new buzz for Lacey, and her senses heightened, her fingers trailed down his stomach, memorising the feel of his muscles and loving the way he shivered beneath her touch.

"Relax." she breathed with a hint of a giggle against his mouth, still feeling the slight shake in his limbs.

She unbuckled his belt, taking care of the zipper and button of his pants next, letting them drop to the floor with a small clank. She smirked to herself, satisfied with her work and moved her hands to her hips and took off her own pants, in what Daryl believed could only be described in a _'painfully sexy' _way.

That seductive dancer he'd seen less than a year ago was present in Lacey, whether she was aware of it or not, he wasn't sure, what he was positive of was that she sure knew how to take her clothes off.

It made Daryl feel something different from when he was at that club, sitting in the back row with his brother next to him, hooting and hollering with the other men over the music as act after act came on the stage until Lacey, like a grand finale took center stage next to the damn, ridiculous, huge martini glass.

With her all to himself, undressing right in front of him, shared lusty emotions and thoughts in their mind... he felt like some 12 year old who snuck into a peep show, he didn't know what to do with himself. Though what was brewing beneath his boxers knew exactly what to do.

"The show's free this time, all you've got to do help yourself." Lacey, almost as if reading his mind, put her arms out in a _'come and get it' _sort of manner, standing there in just her bra and panties, neither of which were lacy, to his slight disappointment.

But he pushed the thought away and practically rushed her. His arms engulfed her, his skin on hers, his lips took hers. He wanted to take her, rough and quick, like last time, but he also wanted to take it slower, since there was nothing to hide from anymore, and they actually had some time on their hands. He wanted to touch every inch of her, he wanted to see every little expression on her face during, he wanted to do things to her that he'd never tried before. Numerous positions flew past his eye lids, making him groan into her mouth, his need growing more desperate.

But all those other positions would have to wait, this time he wanted to see her face, he wanted to hear her. Last time she'd buried her head into his neck, leaving the visual until the end. He wanted to see everything though, he wanted to hear it as he saw it too.  
>He wasn't sure why, but she sure brought the sex fiend out of him.<p>

Lacey, on the other hand, felt like she was in state of dreamy shock, Daryl's hands were everywhere, his lips working perfectly against hers, without a doubt the reason her knees were jelly and her legs were shaking now.

All her control was gone, he was the director of this now.  
>She found herself sat on the sink's countertop after his hands left from under her thighs. The sink was cool against her skin, but that wasn't hardly as interesting as the feeling of Daryl's rough hands hooking into her panties and dragging them down. She lifted her legs upward, in an effort to help him out.<p>

All that was left was her bra, and with careful hands and with aide from the mirror he unclasped it in a snap and pulled the straps from her shoulders with a ghost like touch from his fingers.

And there she was, completely naked, seated in front of him, she didn't try to cover up either. Not that she was proud of her body, it was a rare case when a woman was happy with how she looked, Lacey was no exception. But she didn't shy away, or try to cover up, the look in her eye was something of near questioning, wondering if she looked good enough for him, and a second later her thoughts were answered when he took hold of her tiny waist and moved himself between her legs, "You're so beautiful."

A blush came to her cheeks, even to her neck, as she looked down and to the tiled floor, a bashful smile on her lips. Her hair fell around her face like a blonde curtain, but was pushed away as a hand took her chin, and eased her to look up again.

"You can't tell me no one's ever told you that." he spoke seriously, but a chuckle rose as he asked her.  
>"Once or twice... mostly by my parents." she mummbled, a timidness emerging from her he never thought existed.<p>

A '_hmph_' escaped him before he spoke, "You **are** beautiful, Lacey."  
>She smiled, her blush growing slightly brighter as she hooked her arms around his neck, "And you're gorgeous."<br>Daryl's face, just an inch away from hers, srunched up, he gave her a sour look, she shrugged with laugh, "I don't know what to tell you, Dixon. You're attractive, and you're gonna have to deal with it."

He rolled his eyes before closing the space between them, their smiles disappeared quickly into the kiss as that need built right back up again. Lacey's hands pulled on the waistband of his boxers, shoving them down as far as she could, as she pulled away to gasp loudly. Daryl's hands were busy as well, exploring the new flesh revealed to him, particularly what was between her legs.

There was no amusing banter, or cocky comments anymore. The mood had shifted and Daryl's eyes were focused on the girl before him.  
>Her mouth was open, emitting delicious little sounds with every movement of his hand. He noticed her eyelids flutter and her grip on the counter's edge was turning her knuckles white. Her chest, her long blonde hair had fallen forward covering most of her up, heaved as she gasped and moaned.<p>

As much as he wanted to just experiment with what sort of touches produced what kind of noises, he could only take so much of the display in front of him. He pulled his hand away from her, and before she even opened her eyes again, he was lined up and moved in.

Lacey whined a moan of pain when he pushed in roughly, her nails dug into the skin of his neck, and his shuddering growls of breath sent tingles all through her.

He pushed into her a few more times, recieving the same sort of pleasured sound from Lacey, while his breaths shallowed and his kissed her shoulder, "Feels _so_good, darlin'." he groaned into her neck before standing up again to see those little expressions he'd been waiting to see.

Her legs hung around his hips, the heels of her feet digging into the small of his back as he got into a comfortable rhythm, but even then he had to brace himself with a hand on the mirror. His new position making Lacey lean back, her head resting against the glass as he moved. His breaths came in sharp gasps, whine like groans mingled with her own sounds and staring into his eyes she found her end coming quicker than usual.

Her hands slid along his shoulders and rested on his biceps, her fingers digging into his skin slightly as she felt it getting closer and closer, her eyes closed and simple gasps escaped her mouth.

"No, no. C'mon, look at me, girl." he rasped, his pace quickening suddenly as her eyes cracked open again and she those eyes had somehow gotten darker. His left hand still against the glass supporting him, his other traveled down to her thigh held snuggly against his hip, he pulled her leg away, elevating it up and up until her calf rested on his shoulder.

Lacey found no pain in this, she was flexible enough that her muscles weren't absolutely killed by his actions, instead with the new angle she found herself close to screaming as he moved faster and deeper. Her eyelids fluttered as her stomach clenched, as well as other parts, when his kissed her calf, his teeth grazing the skin, all while his eyes stayed connected to hers.

And that was it for her, those damn eyes and she was tossed over the edge into the pleasure abyss, a soft scream signaling her release echoed through the bathroom.  
>Daryl was close to follow, he stared the entire time of her final moments, all those little expressions saved into his memory bank.<p>

They stay there in the same position for a few minutes, catching their breath.  
>Lacey laughed quietly, "Woah." she took her leg from his shoulder, only to have to him snatch it back to give it one final kiss before letting her ease it down.<br>"That's what'm talkin' about." Daryl chuckled smuggly.

"Never did it on a bathroom counter top before," Lacey kissed his cheek and put her hands on his shoulders, pushing him away and out of her as she did, "Never did it against a tree before."

She walked past Daryl who leaned against the sink now, and turned on the shower, cranking the knob to hot, "I have a feeling you'll be breaking a whole bunch more of my nevers." she grinned as she turned around, but that grin faltered and she tucked some hair behind her ear and a blush took over her cheeks again.

"What?" he asked at her sudden mood change, pushing off the counter and walked over to her.

"The way you look at me," she gave a shy smile, then shrugged, "It's a different sort of look...one I've never seen before." she put her arms around his neck, raising herself on her toes she kissed him gently, "I like it." she whispered against his lips before moving them under the hot water.

The shower wasn't nearly as eventful as what they did before the it, but they were still quite frisky.

Lacey had ventured to her brothers room where her bag was and grabbed a change of clothes, some clean sleepwear, black leggings and a GSU t-shirt. Back in her room she was toweling her hair dry as walked toward the door.  
>"Where're you goin'?" Daryl called from the couch, he had a pillow over his head, but he could still hear her quiet footfalls.<p>

"I made a promise to some youngsters, that was an hour and a half ago, they probably think I drowned." she tossed the towel on the arm of the couch near his feet, "Be back later." she headed out, but then popped around the corner again, "Oh, by the way," Daryl lifted the pillow up a little to look at her, "Robert'll probably come by and drop of Honey so he can drink some more, the guy's a total booze hound, bye!"

Daryl rolled his eyes, letting the pillow drop on his face again, "She's so...weird." he mummbled to himself.

"_Oooh, eeew. Don't have sex with Daryl. Grooooss._Ya little prick hypocrite." Lacey mocked her brother before sending a fake glare his way as they passed in the hallway.

"You're creepy sister powers are creepy!" JoJo called back to her on the way to the room he was sharing with Robert and Ben.

All three men having mentally voted and agreed to not even try to talk Lacey out of sharing a room with Daryl. They knew she'd made up her mind, and they were too drunk, tired and relaxed to even worry about it.

But Lacey had seen the look on his face, she could read him well, JoJo had done the deed as well. And she had to admit, she was pretty impressed, Amy was a total 10, but she'd keep her comments to herself until they could talk like 'bros' in private.

"Uh oh." Lori grinned from her place on one of the couches in the rec room, she had another glass of wine in her hand, Carol sat on the opposite couch, and Carl and Sophia were seated on the floor beside the coffee table.

"Shut up," Lacey stuck her tongue out at her friend, that's when the kids looked up.  
>"Lacey! We found these games, they're sort of old, but kind of fun." Carl explained with a shrug.<p>

"Just like me." she laughed before sittiing beside Carol. The older woman chuckled quietly next to her.  
>"Are you sure you're up for playing, Lace? You look kind of... <em>exhausted<em>." Lori noted with a cheeky smirk.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Really." she waved the brunette off before sliding off the couch and onto the floor by the kids, "Oh, I've got an idea. Come on kiddies, let ol' Auntie Lacey show you a good time." Lacey laughed and stood up, "Stay here. I'll be right back." she put her hands out to them and trotted off down the hall.

Finding her brothers' room again she started searching through her bag. Finding what she was looking for after a few moments she grinned a little wider and took her bag from the room and dropped it outside the door of her and Daryl's room. She ran back into rec room and started searching for an outlet.

"What are you looking for?" Sophia asked, as Lacey practically became level with the floor as she searched the walls around them.  
>"A plug in."<br>"But Jenner said we shouldn't draw anymore power." Lori, the voice of reason, though she had to be on her 6th glass of wine by now.

"I _knooow_," Lacey spoke childishly, "I'm just gonna plug it in for like 10 minutes, that should give us a half an hour or so of party time."  
>"What is it?" Carl asked, but jumped back slightly when Lacey shouted, "A<em>ha<em>!" and shoved the plug into the socket.

She put the thing in her hand onto the coffee table and they all looked down when her hand moved away for the grand reveal.  
>"My phone." she said simply.<br>"Why?" Carl said with a brow raised.

Lacey scoffed in an offended sort of manner, "Why? _Why?_ Carl, you of all people should know what I always keep with me where ever I go."  
>The boy sat back in thought, but after a few moments his face lit up and he laughed, "Oh. Music?"<p>

"You're the Watson to my Sherlock, my dear child." she patted his head, the kids laughed, and counted down until 10 minutes.  
>"3, 2, 1!" Carl and Sophia called out.<br>"Blast off!" Lacey shouted, her finger hitting the power button of her phone and the screen illuminated.

The minute it took to actually turn on felt like ages to the kids, and when the menu screen finally popped up Lacey clicked on the music button and hit random.

Through the small speakers of the phone they all listened as an electronic sort of sound blew out from them.

"What's this?" Lacey mummbled, though she'd been the one to put all the songs onto her phone, it was always a mystery to her what exactly some songs were before the words started going.

_Off with your head...  
>Dance 'til you're dead...<br>Heads will roll, heads will roll  
>Heads will roll on the floor<em>

"Oh yeah!" Lacey sprung up, "I **love** this song." she laughed and started dancing like a total goof. The song continued on and the kids giggled.  
>"Come on, kids. It's a party. You gotta dance at parties." Lacey offered her hands out to them.<p>

The mothers looked on, laughing and shaking their heads as the song went from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Heads Will Roll, to the B52's Rock Lobster, to Metallica's Enter Sandman, where Lacey nearly told a very provocative story about her and Lori at a concert in '03 which involved booze, and, well, willingly lifting up tops.

The playlist when on, White Stripes, David Bowie, Marilyn Manson and t.A.T.u. Lori freaking out again, asking if it was the version of the song where there are certain noises, but the phone had a mind of its own, powering down to save what little power it had left.

"Aww." Lacey, Sophia and Carl whined.  
>"Oh well, party's over. But I guarentee you it was the coolest party you've ever been to." Lacey smiled as the kids nodded and she grabbed her phone charger cord and her phone from the coffee table.<p>

"Bed time." Lori piped up, Carol agreed and she began to usher Sophia out of the room.  
>"Go on, Carl. I'm gonna browse." Lori kissed the top of her sons head and looked on at the selection of books on the shelves and he headed out the door too.<br>"Night, Lori." Lacey yawned and hugged her friend before leaving the room, Lori called a 'goodnight' after her.

"Daryl, you missed a kick ass par-" Lacey called as she entered the room, but stopped in her tracks, a grin pulled at her mouth at the sight before her.

There on the couch lay Daryl and Honey sleeping soundly. Daryl was laying on his back, one hand tucked behind the pillow behind his head and Honey lay on his chest, her head rested comfortably over the left side, most likely committing the sound of his heart beat to memory.

Daryl's other hand rested on the girls back in a simple yet protective manner as he snoozed with a quiet snore.

"Damn, I wish I had a camera." Lacey smirked to herself.

As quietly as possible she closed the door and turned off the lights, and found herself snug against her two most favorite people she discovered in this apocalypse.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing!<strong>

**A/N: Alright, be honest, how crap was that scene? Like I said before, I'm sort of new to this whole hetero sex scene stuff. And this one was way longer than the last one. Honest opinions people! Pretty please?**


	23. 11 point 5

_"Son of a bitch! How can you guys miss such an easy target!" Lacey screeched, her voice echoing in the bathroom, "Fuck that. I am not cleaning up your piss!" she stomped out of the bathroom and into the kitchen._

_"It's your turn to clean the bathrooms, Lace!" Ben called from his room.  
>"You know what! Fuck you guys and your weird standing up pee position. Sit down like everyone else! And for the love of GOD put the seat down when your done." Lacey rolled her eyes, taking a glass of water with her as she headed for the living room.<em>

_"Oh the life of a girl living with her three brothers. How awful it must be."  
>Lacey almost spit her water all over the person that had just spoken, but she kept it inside, swallowing it down before smiling, "Hi, how much of that did you hear?"<em>

_"I came in around 'fuck you guys and your weird standing up pee position'."  
>Lacey winced, "You heard that, huh?"<br>"Yup."  
>"Well, I'm serious. There's no way I'm cleaning that up, it's fucking disgusting."<br>"Definitely."_

_Lacey nodded, a moment of silence between the two caused her to smirk, "So what brings you 'round these parts, Mr. Jensen, sir?"  
>He shrugged with a laugh, "Georgie and I were thinking about going to see a movie, though if we brought a girl with us we'd look less gay."<em>

_She snorted, "Let me just get some real pants on." she gestured to her sweat pants and trotted off._

It was two weeks before prom. I didn't have any idea that Georgie was going to ask me to be his date. And I was completely blind to the idea that Jensen had wanted to ask me and had this little speech all ready, only for Georgie to come in and cockblock him. They were both nerdy types, and they were good friends of mine (and that's how I saw it, Georgie and I were just two friends going to prom. I didn't know it would develop into something) but if I was honest with myself, Georgie did make the pictures look nicer, if you know what I mean. He told me I was beautiful and we ended up dating for a few months after that until I left for college.

I wasn't an expert at relationships when I was young, I never really cared about my appearance when I was young. And I suppose that's why I get all flustered when someone associates the word 'beautiful' with me.

Yes, I was a 'dancer' at a club, but you don't have to be a beauty queen to take your clothes off for money.

I've hardly ever been called beautiful, or gorgeous. In fact... I don't think Keenan ever commented about how I looked... not that that was a bad thing, at least the relationship wasn't built on looks... I suppose...

And I guess, in a way, it makes me feel like a kid again, since my parents would call me their 'beautiful girl'.

To put it simply, I don't take compliments well.

I mean, I'm attractive, at most. I know that much, other wise I wouldn't have been able to reel in all those men in the past, and most importantly, Darly Dixon.

...wait... most importantly?

-_L.B._


	24. 12

**A/N: thanks for the kind reviews :) and those that have added this story to their alert and favorites. ALSO the people who've added me to their author alerts and favorites thank you so much! Makes me feel all kinds of special :)**

**Anyway, this is the longest chapter yet, it's kind of dull, but you know how the CDC is. BUT! I can say this, ****Character****Introduction****. And I'd really like some opinions after you read it.**

**Hope you all enjoy it :)**

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><p><em>Salvation: Day One  Rescue Dog_

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><p>Lacey woke up surprisingly early with just an annoying pinch of headache in her forehead (<em>nothing <em>compared to what Glenn was nursing). Deciding to leave Daryl to get as much sleep as he could, because honestly, the guy really needed it, she roused Honey as quietly as possible, and fixed up her appearance as best she could and wandered her way to the dining area she had given a drunken performance in the previous night.

"Gonna be okay there?" Lacey patted Glenn's back when she passed him. She deposited Honey into Carol's offered arms and went to assist T-Dog in making breakfast.  
>Glenn just responded with a muffled groan, his head lay in his arms as he slumped against the table.<p>

The kids were chirper, far more than usual, which was a fantastic change to see, everyone could agree. Sophia jumped at the opportunity to hold Honey when Carol asked, of course, the timid woman questioned Lacey for approval first, to which Lacey waved her off, "It's fine, of course." Leaving her, Carol and T-Dog as the primary meal makers.

He brothers weren't seated at the table with the few others that were awak, they were never early risers, and techinically neither was Lacey, it just became routine for her to wake up around 5, get ready to leave the house by 6, and drive the hour to the hospital to finally clock in at 7:15.

But today seemed different, refreshing. She'd only woken up twice in the middle of the night with her heart hammering hard inside her chest, only for her to calm down a moment later, remembering they were at the CDC and they were perfectly safe and well protected. The third time she woke up she felt a wet nose poking her hand, and she remembered this was no ordinary building, and there wasn't the simplicity of walking outside to let dogs go and releave themselves. She found a way though, and with her dog finally relaxed again, she fell into blissful, comfortable, non-endangered sleep.

"So, what do we got." Lacey braced her hands on the counter top, and glanced up at T-Dog with a friendly smirk.  
>"Not much. Some powedered milk, powdered eggs, some cereal."<p>

"Breakfast of champions." Lacey chuckled.  
>T-Dog snorted beside her, "So you wanna start on the eggs?"<br>"Umm. How would I do that?"  
>He raised a brow at the girl, "You don't know how to cook eggs?"<p>

"Hey, man. I used to work a 7 to 5 shift. I didn't have any damn time to cook. Though if you ask my good man Carl, I make some excellent mac n cheese." she sent a wink the boys way and he laughed before continuing to entertain Honey.

T-Dog rolled his eyes but a smirk pulled at his mouth, "Alright, girl. I'll do the eggs. You pour cereal in some bowls, and then I'll teach you how to make some eggs."  
>"Cool. I can do that." she gave him a thumbs up and searched around the cupboards for some bowls.<p>

Finally locating them she reached up to the top shelf, but just being a fraction of an inch too short her fingers barely grazed the imitation wood.

A hand, seeming to appear out of nowhere as she concentrated on trying to grow another inch from the floor, grabbed the bowls easily and placed them on the counter in front of her.

"Shortie." that rough, raspy voice sent a small chill down her spine, and a scruffy jaw rubbed against her cheek before leaving a kiss there. She fought her hardest not to blush and turned around just as he took a seat at the table next to Sophia.

"I am _not_ short. I'm above the average height of American women." she crossed her arms.  
>"Yeah, maybe half an inch taller." he rolled his eyes as he plucked Honey from Sophia's grasp and kissed her cheek, much like he had done to Lacey moments ago, before replacing back into the 12 year old's lap.<p>

A quick whistle from next to her pulled her away from any more defiant protests, T-Dog nodded his head toward the pan he had a spatula scraping in.  
>And for the next half hour Lacey took over egg cooking duty, T-Dog would deposit plates to everyone, and eventually the entire group was present at the table, some perfectly fine concerning hangovers, others...not so lucky.<p>

Robert held his head in his hands, a groan escaping him every time someone spoke louder than a normal speaking tone, Ben seemed to be a similar state, only he resorted to crossing his arms and keeping a deep set frown on his face. JoJo was fine, having not had that much to drink in the first place, no doubt he wanted to actually **remember** what he accomplished with Amy last night.

Lacey glanced to the spot next to Amy, Andrea seemed...off. Deflated, in a way. She barely touched her food and didn't speak a word until Jenner walked into the kitchen-break room area.

Someone else Lacey noticed was acting strange, Shane. He seemed more reserved since his little downer episode during dinner, and he was sporting some pretty raw looking scratch marks on his neck, but as Lacey zeroed on what exactly his gaze was fixed on she found it was a someone, Lori...someone else who wasn't particularly in high spirits either. Something must've gone on between them, something Lacey had missed completely.

But all observations aside, everyone seemed to be on the same chapter when Jenner filled up a styrofoam cup with coffee. Shane had been right to question him, but his timing was off, he'd interrupted a time of joy, but now that that time was over, everyone was curious as to whether there _was_ a cure, and **what** _exactly_ this disease, or whatever it was, _was_.

Like moths to a flame they all followed Jenner to the control room where he called out for Vi to bring up the play back of TS-19 on the big screen.

The automated voice repeated back his request before the screen flickered on and what appeared to x-rays of a skull were shown.

"Few people ever got a chance to see this. Very few." Jenner explained and the screen changed to a single view, the skull becoming transparent until the brain became the main focus.  
>"Is that a brain?" Carl wondered.<br>"And extraordinary one," Jenner confirmed to the boy before looking back to the screen, "not that it matters in the end."

He made a request for an enchanced internal view, and the screen zoomed in until it was inside the inner workings of the brain.

Lacey leaned against a desk as she took in the sight she'd never witnessed before, it was beautiful, really, to her at least. The way the brain set messages through the synapses, the human mind had always fascinated her, but instead of psychology she went for the nursing program.

"What're those lights?" Shane wondered, Lacey glanced over at him, seeing Ben standing next to him like his shadow.

Sometimes she wondered about her brother. Most of her life she looked up to him, but when tragedy (times 2) struck he seemed to turn into some other person...or maybe that was the real person inside of him she never knew was there. Either way, she felt him drifting away, from her, from Robert and Jo...

She was shaken from her thoughts as Jenner began to explain what exactly they were viewing on the screen. Judging by the perplexed faces around her, she assumed none of them had known how a human brain really worked, or what the different sections were called, save for a few people, like Andrea and Dale, Jo and Robert, who understood.

"They determine everything a person says does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death." the doctor explained.

"Death? That's what this is, a vigil?" Rick interrupted the doctor.  
>"Yes...or rather the playback of the vigil." Jenner nodded.<br>"This person died? Who?" Andrea's eyes stayed stuck on the screen.  
>"Test subject 19. Someone who was bitten and infected, and volunteered to have us record the process."<p>

The mood in the room seemed to shift from curious to just... confused.  
>Scanning forward to the first event, they watched the brain stem take on a black and red color, spreading slowly throughout the brain until the all the lights dimmed then went completely dark. Jenner explained as they continued to look on. Lacey found herself feeling a little sick from the show on the screen, knowing exactly how it was going to end... how it <strong>had<strong> to end.

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia wondered to her mother.  
>Jim. They'd almost forgotten about him... he was most likely fully turned by now, if Jenner's information was correct. Carol answered yes, before Jenner asked Vi to scan forward to the second event.<p>

The brain started up again, but there were no glorious lights, everything was dark, just that red pulsating infection, and just as Jenner explained that it was no longer the brain of a person, an individual that had it's own thoughts, what made itself them, a white rip tore through the skull and everything was dark again.

Questions arose, and Ben spoke up, "He shot his patient in the head, didn't you?"

But no confirmation came, Jenner had the screen and workstations power down and started through the crowd toward the exit.

That's when more questions arose, but Lacey wasn't paying any attention, she was sure they were saying what she was thinking. There was no cure, there was no way of fixing it, all they could do was survive. Survive until...well, until they couldn't survive anymore.

She didn't hear Daryl's comment as he stepped toward her and rested his head on her shoulder, but she just gave him a weak smile and listened to what Dale was asking now.

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but..." he pointed toward the bright red numbers on the wall, "That clock. It's counting down. What happens at zero?"

Jenner hesistated a moment, "The basement generators, they run out of fuel."  
>"And then?" Rick asked, but Jenner just walked away, out of the room.<br>"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" Rick called out to the air.  
>"When the power runs out- facility wide decontamination will occur." the automated female voice answered.<p>

With the next question going undefined the men got to work, grabbing flashlights and heading for the basement while everyone else went to their rooms. Lacey left Honey in Daryl's care while she wandered the halls, feeling like she should be productive in some way, but she wasn't quiet sure how.

"Ms. Black," Jenner's voice called to her. She hadn't even noticed she'd wandered down a hall she'd never been in before.  
>She turned, glancing around before walking to the man seated in a chair in what she assumed was his office, "Yeah?"<p>

Jenner stood up before really looking at Lacey, she had conflicted feelings about how he was staring at her, she didn't know if she was uncomfortable, or if he was just observing her in his weird scientist sort of way. She knew his type, she knew he viewed people differently than she did, and an even more different way than say, Carl. He was a very well educated man, one could say a genius, so the way he acted could hardly be classified as creepy.

But after a few quiet moments he looked away and finally spoke, "You're the... angel... of the group, I can see that. You care, help and fight for your people, you keep them safe... but I think..." Jenner paused and sat down offering a seat to Lacey next to him, he rubbed his brow, "I think you, being a woman of science, should-"  
>Lacey started to interrupt him, telling him she was far from a 'woman of science' and more of a care giver, but he stopped her, "Ms. Black, just listen. You are the most qualified person I've met since this all started. I want you to have this knowledge..."<p>

Lacey found herself in her room 20 minutes later, her mind a blaze with questions. He had given her the information...but why? Besides the reason he gave her, why?  
>"Alright?" Daryl's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.<br>"Yeah." she nodded, "I'm fine."  
>But a gasp escaped her a moment later, the lights went out.<p>

She grabbed up Honey and stepped out into the hallway with Daryl, a bottle hanging from his hand as he kept a grip on the doorway. The three dogs made to follow, but Lacey put her hand out, "Stay." she mummbled.  
>"What's goin' on? Why's everythin' turned off?"<br>Jenner moved down the hallway, donning buisness slacks, a crisp button down and a tie, as well as his lab coat, "Energy use is being prioritized." He took the bottle from Daryl's loose grip and took a swig, by now everyone was following him now.

"Air isn't a priority? And lights?" Dale asked as Jenner passed him.  
>Daryl took Lacey's hand into his as they walked down the darkening hall, pulling her along closer.<br>"It's not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down." Jenner explained in a monotone.  
>Daryl dropped Lacey's hand to run up to the doctor, "'Ey! What do you mean it's shuttin' itself down. Hey, man, I'm talkin' to you. How can it shut itself down? How can a building do anythin'?"<br>"You'd be surprised." with that mysterious answer Daryl turned and took Lacey's hand again, keeping her close as they all found themselves in the workstation room again.

A quiet fear took over the room, as everyone looked on to their savior who seemed to have snapped. He explained it was the French that had held out the longest, while everyone else bailed or killed themselves, they stayed in the labs and kept working. Though they thought they were close to a solution the same thing happened to them that what happening now. Without a power grid, and the fuel gone, the building was draining like a battery, and in 30 minutes it would be dead.

"The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?" Jenner asked with an arrogant chuckle, though he was right, the way he seemed so casual about the situation was putting the others on edge.

Shane went after the doctor, while Rick told Ben to keep him away from the man, he told Lori and everyone else to go get their things. They were leaving now.

Everyone moved quickly at the serious and loud tone Rick used, but an alarm blaring stopped them in their tracks, a red light flashed over the room every few seconds.

"30 minutes to decontamination." Vi's voice explained.

Everyone stopped moving, questions laced with fear were asked, and while Jenner moved through the workstation, Shane told everyone to get moving like Rick said.

But their only escape became sealed off a moment later. They were trapped, by their _savior_.

"Did you just lock us in?" Glenn's voice didn't hide any emotion.

"You can't do this!" Jo called out, Amy had almost fallen against him, the horror of the situation sinking in, he glared up at Jenner as he held Amy up.

Jenner moved to a workstation computer, and as if none of them were even there he spoke into the camera with a calm tone.

Lacey's hand was dropped again, and she saw Daryl run at the doctor, she put a hand to her head and slumped into a chair. She couldn't believe they were really locked in, with thirty minutes before structure wide decontamination, what ever the _hell_ that was.

Shane and a few others pulled Daryl away from the doctor, successfully keeping that bottle away from Jenner's head.

Robert slid down the desk next to where Lacey sat in an office chair, he took her vacant hand and just kept quiet.

There were times when Lacey was the biggest noise there could be, but sometimes she was just completely quiet, and only Robbie knew that she didn't need to be told anything, she just needed a presence and mutual quiet. And whenever that happened that's usually when JoJo and Ben got loud and violent, which was a major step up, since Lacey was... well still is the family fighter.

As loud words were exchanged between the doctor and the group, Lacey just listened, her eyes on the floor, her arm snug around Honey and her hand tight in her brother's.

Jenner had locked the door to this room, but he couldn't control the rest of the doors upstairs, he said the computers controlled all that, so in reality even if they managed to get out of this room, they'd have another obstacle upstairs. There wasn't a way out. All of them were trapped, and Jenner seemed like the only one who was fine with that.

"It's better this way." he assured them.

"What happens in 28 minutes?" Rick demanded, almost finding himself lunging at the doctor in the chair. When Jenner just seemed to ignore him, Shane shoved the doctor, repeating the question with aggression, and the doctor sprung up from his seat.

"Do you know what this place is? We protected the public from very nasty stuff! Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe ouf half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out! Ever!" he sat down after his little burst, adjusting his coat and wiping a hand over his face, his voice took a calmer tone, "In the event of a catastrophic power failure- in a terrorist attack, for example- HITs are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out."

A moment later Vi defined HITs after Rick's wonder, "HITs. High-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives consist of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen at between 5000 and 6000 degrees and is useful when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired."

"It sets the air on fire, no pain. And end to sorrow, grief, regret. Everything."

Lacey held Honey close to her chest, tears spilled over her cheeks, she was lucky she was in a chair, after Vi's explanation and Jenner's words her legs would've surely given out. Her tears soaked into her daughter's hair and she found herself being pulled to the floor next to Robert, he put his arm around her and pulled her as close to him as possible.

Daryl appeared in front of the two, his hand on Lacey's knee, "I'm gonna get you out of here." he said, and kissed her forehead before heading to the sealed off door.  
>She barely registered any sign of hearing or seeing him, her eyes just kept on spilling more and more tears. JoJo, Amy and Andrea joined the three huddled on the floor.<br>JoJo's arms circled around his sister and Amy. And through all the shouting and crying Lacey could hear it, she heard JoJo say it, "I love you, Amy."

More tears seem to fall, she wasn't sure if they were from happiness or sadness and fear, or probably a mixture of all three. The families sat together, while some exchanged words with Jenner; Shane, Ben and Daryl worked their hardest to get the door open while they still had time to escape. Axes pounded loudly against the '_rocket proof doors_'.

He wouldn't really do this...He _couldn't_ really do this. Keep them here against their will to face their deaths. No...No, he couldn't...then a thought occurred, only 40 minutes ago he was giving her all the information he had accumulated over the past two months, and the information from before the outbreak became severe...

He wouldn't have given her that information with out a real reason. He wouldn't tell her all that if he was going to just let them all die. He wanted to her to know... but why?

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Lacey heard Jenner say, snapping out of her daze, she looked around, most of the group had crumbled to the floor, like she had, at the door she saw Daryl getting a running start, axe in hand.  
>Her eyes widened as she stood up.<p>

"Well, your head ain't!" he brought the axe up as he went for Jenner, all the men held him back.  
>"Daryl, stop. This isn't helping." Lacey groaned and took his arm and pulled him away from the men still restraining him.<br>"He's the only guy that can open the door," she explained quietly as she walked him around the desks, away from the doctor, "if you split his head open, how're we gonna get out of here?"

"I don't want this for you. I don't want this for our baby girl." he started to pace once she let go of his arm. She contained a smile at his use of possessive word choice, 'our', and nodded, "I know, but killing the guy with the only way of getting us the hell out of here isn't really helping any."

He let out a heavy sigh through his nose and she stepped forward, stopping him from his pacing, she reached her hand to his face, caressing his prickly cheek with her thumb. "You can stop from me puttin' an axe through the doc, but I ain't gonna quit hackin' that door."  
>She sighed and took her hand away, "Go on then."<p>

"There is no hope. There never was." Jenner said, and Rick stepped toward the man, "There's always hope. Maybe it won't be you, maybe not here, somebody, somewhere-"

"What part of 'everything is gone' do you not understand?" Andrea asked with acid in her tone, Amy gasped from next to her, "Andrea." she said, "Come on-"

Her sister cut her off, "No. You've seen it Amy, you almost died, you would've been dead if it weren't for Robert. But how much longer can we survive out there? I don't want to take the risk, I don't want to see you die."

Jenner gestured to the woman, "Listen to your friend. She gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event."

A quiet took over the group again, Lacey looked down to Honey, her curious brown eyes looking right back at her, "Ma." she mummbled, her little hand taking hold of Lacey's shirt in a tight grip.

"This isn't right. You can't just keep us here." Carol cried.  
>"One tiny moment. A millisecond. No pain." Jenner assured her, but Carol just continued to cry, "My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this."<p>

"We all have a fighting chance, we can still survive." Robert said from his seated position next to JoJo.

"Wouldn't it be kinder? More compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?" Jenner's words were followed by a gun cocking, and Shane pushing past a protesting Rick toward Jenner. He lined the gun up to the man's face, "You open that door or I'm gonna blow your head off. Do you hear me?"

Rick and Ben tried to convince Shane that this wasn't the way, everyone pitched in a comment, all while moving away from the man with the gun.  
>Shane practically roared before moving the gun away and taking shots at the computers down the aisle, Rick took the fire arm from him and knocked him down, sparing everyone from the fear that Shane was going to slaughter their chances of still escaping and the possible death by crazed police officer.<p>

"You done now? You done?"

"Yeah, I guess we all are." Shane remained on the floor, and a quiet came over the room again, there were far too many strange, awkward silences, in Lacey's opinion. But all eyes were on Rick, he passed the gun to T-Dog and then went to Jenner who sat facing a dead computer.

"I think you're lyin'." he accused.  
>"What?" Jenner mummbled without looking up.<br>"You're lyin'. About no hope. If that were true you'd have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You didn't. You chose the hard path. Why?"  
>"It doesn't matter." the doctor shook his head.<p>

"It does matter? It always matters. You stayed when others ran. Why?"  
>"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise," Jenner stood up and pointed to the deactivated big screen, "to her. My wife."<br>"Test subject 19 was your wife?" Lori asked, keeping Carl close to her, as well as Carol and Sophia.

"She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no? She was dying... It should've been me on that table, it wouldn't have mattered to anybody. She was a loss to the world. Hell, she ran this place. I just worked here. In our field, she was an Einstein. Me? I'm just... Edwin Jenner. She could've done something about this. Not me."

"Your wife didn't have a choice. You do. That's- that's all we want- a choice, a chance." Rick tried to convince him, tried to beg without getting violent.

"Let us keep trying as long as we can." Lori added, her hands holding on tighter to her son. Jenner looked at the scared faces of each survivor, then the children. The children he felt bad for, but at the same moment, he had a little hope. Sophia, Carl and Honey. They were the future generation of this new world. They'd be the experts, they'd be the greatest survivors of all..._if_ they survived.

But he was willing to give them that chance.

"I told you topside's locked down. I can't open those." He walked over to the keypad that had sealed their doom nearly 30 mintues ago, swiping his id, and punching in a pass code, the door slid open.

Daryl sprinted toward Lacey, grabbing her hand, "C'mon!" he shouted to the rest as he pulled her along, but stopped short when she seemed to be bolted to the ground. Jacqui said she was staying, she turned away from the others and took a seat in one of the offices chairs. Robert tried to convince her to rethink it, but she wouldn't budge. He gave an understanding nod before running up the ramp and standing with his sister. Ben had already bolted along with Lori, Carol, Sophia, Carl and T-Dog, but JoJo was stuck to Amy.

"What's the point, Amy? Going back out into that world, why?" Andrea stayed seated on the floor, looking up at her little sister.  
>"What's the point?" Amy scoffed, "We get to <strong>live<strong>. We get to keep breathing and go on. And..." she glanced at JoJo, "Even if it's just _**one**_ more day, I want to live it with Jo, and you, and everyone else. Come on! Please!"

"I'm staying." Andrea stated firmly, and with that Amy just shook her head as tears fell down her cheeks and she let JoJo guide her away.

With all the three Black's together again the group ran hard and fast to the hallway where they were staying. Grabbing all their things in record time and collecting the dogs, they bolted through the hallways. Daryl led the way up the stairs until they were on ground level, they faced another locked and sealed blockade.

Jenner had said once those doors were shut they'd stay shut, and all power was gone from this area of the building. The axes didn't work, not even gun fire could create a single crack. They had minutes to escape and they couldn't get past the final barrier. Robert held onto his sister, while she held onto tightly to a whimpering Honey, while the others scrambled and shouted.  
>"Rick! I think I might have something that will help. When I was washing your uniform I found this in your pocket." Carol's quiet voice sounded over the chaos.<p>

A grenade, what the hell was Rick doing with a grenade? Did it really matter at the moment? Everyone ran for cover as Rick stood by the window and pulled the pin, he dropped it and ran, the explosion propelling him further when it went off.

A hole was created in glass and everyone ran for it. The explosion had drawn the attention of nearby walkers, but those who were armed took care of them easily and they sprinted to the cars on pure adrenaline.

In the rush to get moving Honey was passed off to Robert and Lacey whistled to the dogs to get in the bed of the truck.

The entire time she was shouted at by Daryl in the drivers seat of the truck and her brothers from the RV, but then a different kind of shout carried from the RV, "Wait! Wait! It's Andrea and Dale!" Amy called and opened the door.

Andrea and Dale ran fast, past the sandbag barricade and almost into the RV when Rick's voice, close to a scream, told everyone to "GET DOWN!"

Lacey dove into the truck, pulling Blue in with her as the feel and sound of the H.I.T.S. did their job. A heat worse than the warmth of the current Georgian summer air took over the area, the ground rumbled from explosion after explosion within the building.

The full decomtamination was over, the once great building was on fire... the CDC was gone.

Lacey stepped out of the truck, the heat was overwhelming, roasting her skin where she stood, Blue jumped out of the truck and she went to assist him into the bed. He was an old dog, fast when he needed to be, but his joints just couldn't handle a big jump anymore.

Dale and Andrea had scrambled into the RV, engines were starting, all that was left was to get Blue seated with Blondie and Rocket.

"Come on, boy." Lacey urged him, but his gaze was in the distance, and his nose seemed to be sniffing something out. "Blue, come on." she patted her leg to draw his attention, but the next moment he was running like lightning toward a building neighbouring what used to be the CDC.

"Blue! Blue, come back!" she started after him, JoJo bursted out of the RV and went to go after the dog as well, Robert held him back though, Blue wasn't exactly a hedgehog, but to Jo, he was close enough.

"We ain't got time for this, Lace!" Daryl shouted after her.

He may have been a '_just_' a dog to the others in the group, but he was a stray, like her and her brothers, and part of their family now, and she'd be damned if she was just going to let him run off like that.

The dog disappeared from sight, taking a corner around a building, Lacey could hear her name being shouted from behind her, but her eyes widened at the sight of her Old English Sheepdog emerging from around the building again, only he had something, or rather someone, else in tow.

She sprinted toward the dog and the little figure, "Shit." she breathed, the girl was dark skinned, but there was a lightness to it, her hair had once been in neat braids was messy and frizzed out, her cut off over alls were torn and ripped, dirt encrusted her clothes as well as her hair and skin, but it was those gray blue eyes that reeled Lacey in, those scared, innocent, child eyes, and the moment of hope as she looked up at her, running fast along side Blue.

"Come on. Come on, sweetheart." Lacey squatted down for a second as the girl ran into her arms, clinging on tightly as Lacey hoisted her up and started running full speed toward Daryl's truck.  
>"C'mon! C'mon!" his voice shouted, Lacey pumped her legs harder, keeping up with Blue as they got closer and closer to the train of vehicles.<p>

She could barely stop after gaining so much momentum, her adrenline coursing through her veins like wildfire, she skidded to a halt just before jumping into the truck, Daryl already sitting in the drivers seat, they looked behind them to see Blue had successfully jumped into the bed of the truck, next to Blondie, Rocket and Merle's bike.

The RV was already rolling down the street, Carol's Cheeroke following, then Shane's Jeep, and finally Daryl's truck.

"Where the hell did she come from?" he asked when they got back on the highway.  
>The quivering girl in Lacey's arms simply stared at dashboard, her breathing steady but her eyes far beyond scared.<p>

"She bit?"  
>Lacey looked the girl over, examining each arm and leg, pushing her hair away to check her neck. There was no source of blood anywhere on her, but there was a light gruesome looking spray on her over alls, most likely from someone else, who Lacey assumed she was being taken care of before, but had met an undesirable fate.<br>"No. She's fine." she said, "Blue ran off around that building, a few seconds later like some damn magician dog he's bringing this girl along with him."

Daryl glanced down at the girl, her gaze still wide eyed and fixed on the dashboard, "Shit." he grumbled.  
>"Sweetheart..." Lacey started, reaching a hand under the girl's chin, she turned her face to look at her, her scared eyes turned away from the dash, with a startled jump she looked up into Lacey's eyes.<p>

"What's your name, kiddo?" she gave a warm smile, hoping to coax the girl into a sense of comfort. God knew how long it had been since she had human contact, the state of her body worried Lacey enough, the girl was close to skin and bones.  
>After a few moments her quivering lips parted, "E-e...Er-r-rin."<p>

She nodded, "Alright, Erin. My name's Lacey, that's Daryl." she pointed a finger to Daryl, who kept his gaze fixed on the Jeep in front of him, chewing a nail. Erin's eyes shifted, she looked at Daryl, then looked back up at Lacey.

"How old are you?" the blonde asked.  
>Once again, it took the girl a few moments before she spoke, "6."<br>Lacey nodded again, "Okay. We're gonna take care of you now. Alright? Just relax, and get some rest. You're safe now."  
>The girl nodded and almost the instant her eyes fell shut and she rested her head against Lacey's chest she was out like a light.<p>

"Great..." Daryl mummbled, "We done it twice, and just the day after we do it we got another one. They sure as hell didn't teach this in sex ed."  
>Lacey rolled her eyes, fighting not to smirk.<p>

The sound of radio static filled the air in the truck, followed by a crackling voice, "Wha'dya catch back there, L.B.?"  
>Shane's voice. Lacey rolled her eyes again and picked up the reciever, "Got a little girl, name's Erin, 6 years old, no bites, no scratches, just terrified."<p>

A chuckling came over the line, Ben's chuckling, "For the girl who didn't want any babies 'til she was at least 30 you've sure got your hands full now."  
>Lacey glared her eyes on the Jeep in front of them, she raised her middle finger from the hand that held the reciever before responding, "Next gas stop, I'm beatin' your ass, Ben."<p>

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.<strong>

**A/N: Thoughts on the character introduction? Oh! And also, I'm very glad that some people actually enjoy the .5's :) They're going to get a change up soon, and I'm not really gonna explain it, but I think you'll be able to catch on quickly :)**


	25. 12 point 5

Another one. Another survivor. A child no less!

I don't know how Blue did it, but he found her, even through all the distraction of the smoke, fire and explosions. He did it.

Sometimes I wonder about who the owners of these dogs were. Blue... Blue I think used to belong to an old couple. He must've grown old with them and he was good with the grandkids.

Rocket was a police dog, there's no doubt about that. Seeing the way she protects us and how she attacks walkers, no fucking doubt.

Blondie. Hmm, I think Blondie was a gift, to a kid, or a teenager, someone young... and it wasn't that she was neglected, but more like, she was just there... like a decoration that came with chores. Then she was ditched when the dead began to rise...

Ditched... I wonder if Erin was ditched... or if she was in a group like ours... if she could survive there must be others out there. Right? I mean, she's 6 years old! There's got to be others, and if there's others, we can form a bigger group. More protection, a bigger society, more reason to believe we can actually make it through this mess.

6... 6 years old and on her own in a time and place like this... Thank goodness for Blue...

But I still can't help but wonder... I mean, I just wanna wake her up and ask question after question, but she's just so tired and horrified... but I mean...

How in the _fuck_ did she manage to walk through Atlanta without even a scratch?

Where is she from? Where has she been? Who has she been with? How did she get here? Why is she alone? Where are her parents or guardians or someone who looks after her? When's the last time she had something to eat or drink? How has she been surviving?

I guess I shouldn't question it, I suppose I should just be grateful Blue found her and brought her to me.

I got another girl. Another little girl. Delivered to me at the worst of times.

Honey and Erin, my post apocalyptic adopted daughters...

Good fucking lord.

-_L.B._


	26. 13

**A/N: Thanks for the favs, alerts and reviews. Happy New Year :)**

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><p><em>The Better Men<em>

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><p>The caravan kept on, stopping for the night in an area on the outskirts of the city, and continuing on at first light. They would stop for gas when they needed it, Lacey transferring herself to the RV where she kept her eye on Erin, while situating where the dogs would go once the truck and van were opted out and Daryl took Merle's motorcycle out for use.<p>

The way to Fort Benning was a long one, Lacey's eyes stayed on the passengers. Andrea, Amy, JoJo, T-Dog and now Erin.

There were mixed emotions toward the newcomer, like any stranger would bring once brought into a tightly knit group. But it wasn't exactly like someone bringing a new friend into an already established group of good friends, this was different. This wasn't the same world they used to live in.

A new person brought fear, anxiety and trust issues (as well as the possibility of a new set of useful skills). And sometimes they kept secrets; dark or even life threatening secrets. So in short, it was tough on both parties when someone new arrived.

Though this was just a girl. A young girl, who appeared to be African American and more scared than the entire group put together. There was no knowing what she'd been through and seen, until she woke and became comfortable enough to speak and tell her story. Though if it wasn't the girl they were worried about, it was Lacey.

Lacey, as described by her fellow group members, (though she had no idea she was a topic of discussion when not in their presence) was usually called a lioness. She's protective and vicious, though at the same time, kind and generous. But this little girl was someone that she had saved, someone that she was going to take care of now, like she was doing with Honey, and everyone had seen the way she had reacted and pounced when Honey was threatened. Erin was another one of her cubs, and Lacey was a dangerous woman to cross.

So the group kept their distance, those who feared to get scratched if they made a comment, at least. Others, like Amy, were just fine with the new girl, and helped Lacey make sure she was comfortable.

Erin slept the entire time, through the stops and talking, until the radiator tube bursted again. She sat up with a gasp, her eyes opened wide as she frantically searched for what ever evil thing was coming to seal their doom.

Lacey jumped as well at the unexpected sound, but kept her cool enough to calm down the scared girl, "No, no. It's okay. Remember, Lacey's here to take care of you." she rested a hand on the girls shoulder. And as Erin's eyes shot to Lacey she visibly began to relax again.

She nodded, looking around, taking in her new surroundings, she'd remembered the interior of a truck, but now she was in an RV, laying down on the scratchy 70's fabric-ed dining booth seat, with Lacey seated next to her, and with a whole new set of people staring at her. She shrunk back into the corner.  
>"These are my friends. They're nice people. That's JoJo, he's my little brother, that's Amy, Theodore, and Andrea, and up there are Glenn and Dale. They won't hurt you. We're all here to protect you." Lacey explained softly and hoped this wasn't how the girl would always react to her surroundings.<p>

Erin looked at each of their faces, they all gave her a smile, though they were forced and slightly pitiful, none of them seemed like a threat. But she was still very frightened, only a day ago she was on her own.

Her shy blue eyes turned away and searched for Lacey.  
>Lacey knew what she was feeling, they were all strangers to her, but since Lacey had been the one to carry her off to safety, she found her the most trustworthy. That idea being proven when Erin inched over to the blonde, cautiously sneaking her arms around Lacey's.<p>

Lacey accepted her, and set a hand on her shoulder, knowing if she was ever going to get this girl out of her fear of everything, she'd need someone to hold on to, then branch out.

Amy gave them the 'aww' look to which Lacey rolled her eyes before standing up and taking Erin's hand and walking outside after Dale and Glenn. It was best to get all the introductions out of the way right then, she thought, and they ought to help out with what ever was happening with the RV.

"Oh, well, look who's awake, sleeping beauty." Dale smiled kindly at the sight of Erin when they stepped onto the traffic jammed highway. Erin smiled back weakly, not yet feeling up to speaking she stepped a little closer to Lacey who shared a look with Dale to which he nodded in understanding. The girl was still scared and very shy, a mix that wouldn't speaking full sentences for a while, so it seemed.

Lacey and Erin moved along the RV toward the back end, where the Cherroke and Jeep were parked behind, all the passengers leaving their vehicles. Shane, Jo, Robert and Ben had gone to check on the engine problem, leaving the rest to meet 'Sleeping Beauty'.

The Grimes and Peletiers came to stand near the back end of the RV, Erin moved slightly behind Lacey's legs when the group closed in on them, but Lacey just patted her back in reassurance that she was perfectly safe, "Everyone, this is Erin."

Lacey introduced, though the entire group had known and seen of the new girl when her sleeping form was transferred from Daryl's truck to the RV they went with it, "Erin, this is Lori, she's my best friend, that's Rick, her husband, and Carl, their little boy. That's Carol and Sophia."

Sophia gave the girl a friendly wave, both girls were probably on the same level of shy, but Lacey knew Sophia would make a friendship bloom between them easily, just like she had with Carl. Lacey smiled when Erin offered the smallest of waves back, but turned when the sound of someone walking was coming up behind her, "And walking over right now, that man is Shane." she explained, while turning Erin to put a name to a face.

"Hi there." Shane nodded to the girl, squating to her level, "Sleep alright?" he asked.  
>Lacey wondered how Shane came to be so good with kids, but then again, how did she? The answer was obvious, they both had Carl, though Carl was far from their own he was how they knew how to engage children, from babies to toddlers to well...Carl's age.<p>

Erin nodded to the officer, "Good. I'm sure Lacey's been nice to you, she's a nice girl." he said, smiling at the girl, she nodded again.

"Good. Lacey, why don't you get something for Erin to eat and some water, and then we'll all spread out and salvage some parts, find more food, water, anything that we could use." he instructed as he stood back to his full height.

Everyone began to disperse, and Lacey gave a grin to Erin, "Let's get you something to eat."

"While you're at it, get something for this one too. She's been whining about her mama the whole time." Lori smirked and passed an eager Honey into Lacey's arms.

"Oh, really. Someone missed Ma, huh?" she poked the girls stomach, and a tiny giggle came back in response, "Thanks, Lori." Lacey and took Erin's hand with her vacant one, guiding them all back to the home on wheels.

Inside the RV, Lacey gathered some food and a bottle of water for Erin, and got a jar of baby food for Honey, carrot flavor, one that she knew the girl didn't really like.

"That's your baby?" Erin spoke after eating most of the food that was put out in front of her.

The initial shock of Erin speaking appeared and disappeared quickly and Lacey nodded, taking in the fact that they were alone and she was well trusted by the girl as the reason she'd spoken. Lacey tried not to laugh at the disgusted face Honey pulled when she realised her food wasn't banana flavored, or something fruity, "Yeah. Found her about two months ago, her mother was dying and she gave her to me. Didn't know her name so I started calling her Honey. She calls me Ma."

Erin nodded and kept quiet the rest of the time, giving a nod or a shake of her head when Lacey asked her questions.

"Lacey!"  
>She couldn't quite place the voice, it was too muffled from the outside, a head popped in from the door a moment later, it was Shane, "Lori's asking for you."<p>

Lacey still hadn't forgotten the attitudes and looks on Shane and Lori's faces yesterday, there was something she didn't know, but she knew there_ was _something there.  
>"K." she nodded, "Thanks."<p>

And he disappeared from sight, she let out an obnoxious exhale.  
>"I'm gonna go see what that's all about. I'll be right back, you just stay here, alright?" Lacey stood up, Honey in her arms, the baby reaching out to Erin, no doubt wanting to touch that amazing curly frizzed hair of hers, but Lacey just moved the baby's arms down and headed for the door.<p>

"I don't want to be alone." Erin's voice spoke quickly, pleadingly.  
>Lacey spun on her heel and nodded, "Alright. Don't worry, I'll have someone stay with you 'til I come back." She wanted to keep the girl somewhere she was familiar with, a place where she wouldn't get lost or scared, and that was in and around the RV. Among all the broken down cars, some with corpses in them, she feared the girl might fall into shock, and if she wandered away, well, once found again they'd probably have to start from square one to build that trust up.<p>

But almost as if she wasn't convinced, Erin followed Lacey out of the RV, sticking close to her as she scoured the area, eventually calling out a name familiar to her. A few moments later the man from the truck walked over, glancing at her before looking to Lacey, "Could you stay with her while I go see what Lori wants?"

"Me? Why me?" a nervous shift appeared in his legs.  
>Lacey spoke in a hushed tone, "Because we're the first two people she came in contact with, she trusts me first, then you. And I don't want her around all the dead bodies, so just stay here, I'll be back in like 5 minutes."<p>

Erin glanced around, beside her was a car, it's wheels had been taken out from under it, the doors were gone and the windshield was cracked. She climbed up onto the trunk and sat on it, looking up she saw Lacey giving her a friendly smile, a smile that reminded her of her mother's smile, for a moment she felt completely safe again, but then she started to walk away, and she was left with that guy from the truck.

He had a leather vest on over his shirt now, and he carried a crossbow, but she noticed he still had the same amount of dirt on him. A few moments of silence passed as he looked around before leaning against the car she sat on.

"Hi," Daryl started awkwardly, the girl looked at him with a glimmer of a smile before looking down at her interlaced fingers, "Lacey told me to keep an eye on you...You, uhh, you doin' alright?" he asked her, awkward couldn't even begin to describe how Daryl was acting.

She nodded, "Yeah." a mummble fell from her lips.  
>"Remember my name?" he asked, not exactly sure where to go when speaking to a 6 year old, with Honey he could say anything he wanted and she'd either respond with a furrowed brow or a big grin, but with this new girl, she was old enough to give a verbal response.<p>

She nodded again, "Daryl."  
>"Right."<br>"Is Lacey your wife?" the question was so innocent with curiousity, but it sent the Dixon boys mouth dry and for a second he thought he might have swallowed his own tongue.

The question would go unanswered though, Rick rushed around quietly ordering everyone to get under the cars, and before Daryl could ask why Rick added 'Walkers'. Erin stiffened and her breathing quickened as she looked from Rick to Daryl. Daryl was the second person she trusted, and though she'd much prefer to run and find Lacey, she have to stick around with the dirty, tough looking guy.

The redneck, still slightly stunned from the girls question, didn't need to think twice when he snatched the girl up and scurried hunched along the cars until he set her on her feet beside a car that was three away from the RV.

"Now you listen to me, girl. You get under that car, you don't make a noise and you don't make a move. Stay here 'til I come back for ya." he took her shoulders into his hands and looked into her stormy blue eyes, the girl nodded quickly and did as he said.

Once he saw her skinny little legs and arms disappear completely from his sight he moved along the cars again, he was in search of Lacey and Honey, but when T-Dog sliced his arm on a car door, he became the rescuer. With no other choice he pulled the freshly killed walker corpse over T-Dog and moved a corpse from a car onto himself, holding his breath until the walkers passed and a fair amount of time lapsed and shoved the body off of him, then the walker body off T-Dog.

On quick quiet feet he searched the area, the walkers were a good distance down the highway, he went back to the car he left Erin under, hoping she had actually listened to him and stayed there. Dropping to his knees he peered under, and to his relief there she was, curled up tightly into herself and shaking slightly.

"C'mon." he stuck his hand out to her and she grabbed it instantly, scooting out from under the vehicle she kept her hand in his as they moved along the cars. He wouldn't lie, the feel of her hand in his made him a little bit uncomfortable, but at the same time, it was sort of like when Honey had first touched his face, it was different, but a good kind of different.  
>A shriek pulled him out of his thoughts.<p>

He stooped down low behind a car, pulling Erin into his chest, he leaned up to peek through the dirty car window to see two walkers climbing over the highway guard rail, chasing after the scream he had heard moments ago.  
>After another few moments of hiding everyone came out of their hiding places, rushing toward the rail where the walkers were now gone from sight.<p>

"My baby, there's two walkers chasing after my little girl." Carol sobbed quietly, collapsing against Lori.  
>That's when Daryl noticed Rick was gone and when he noticed Lacey was standing on the other side of Carol, a reassuring hand on the older women's back while the other held Honey tightly to her. Moving toward her, pulling Erin along behind him he descreetly kissed the side of her head before letting go of Erin's hand. The girl hugged her arms around Lacey's hips as they all stared wordlessly into the forest that bordered the highway.<p>

"I'm going in there." JoJo spoke, and ran to the RV to retrieve his bat before moving through the crowd to hop over the rail, protests came from all around, but the 21 year old didn't listen.  
>Lacey kept quiet as she looked on at her brother, he was the youngest and the skinniest, but right now he was the bravest, and for a moment, she could have sworn she saw a bit of their father in him, the way his face was set into a serious and determind expression.<p>

"You can't go in there, man." Shane shook his head, JoJo looked at the former officer, Ben stood beside him, of course. It was like Ben and Shane were brothers now, Ben could change his last name to Walsh and it would seem a better fit. The way he agreed and acted with Shane, and the way he hung around him more than his own flesh and blood deemed him a Walsh and no longer a Black. But he stepped forward and tried to convinced his little brother to stay here.

Jo, a whisper of a glare in his eye, just spoke in a voice without a quiver, "Someone needs to back him up."

He leaned over the rail to kiss Amy before he slid down the dirt hill and started into the trees.  
>Lacey internally saluted her brother, he totally burned Shane and Ben, the strong 'lawmen' of the group and showed he was a better man than both of them put together.<p>

"I'm going with him." Robert mummbled and took Lacey's trench knife from the loop of her jeans and went over the rail, he sent a nod her way before following in his younger brothers footsteps, earning more and more respect from the other survivors with each step they took.

An hour passed before Rick returned, Jo and Rob behind him. With the skills needed of that of a real tracker they enlisted Daryl's help, Glenn and Shane tagging along as well.

"Don't worry, Carol. Daryl's a great tracker. We'll find her." Lacey used her nurse voice, it was a tone that spoke optimistically, and even to patients who had it bad felt the slightest bit better when she spoke to them that way.

Carol nodded, though her tears didn't cease she leaned her head against Lori's shoulder, the three women sat on the guard rail, waiting until the men would come back, with hopes of Sophia in their possession.

* * *

><p>"So, where'd you two learn to track?" Daryl grumbled quietly as the four pressed on, Shane and Glenn having gone back to the highway to keep everyone else calm and busy.<p>

"Track? I don't know anything about that. I just know how to find my way back when I get lost. Good sense of direction." Robbie shrugged.

"Lace always said you were the best at hide and seek. You're good at finding stuff that's lost, keys, phones... tv remote." Jo added with a small chuckle.

Rob rolled his eyes, "I guess there's that too."

"What about you, Skinny." Daryl nodded to Jo.

"Me? Um, I've had to run away from stuff a lot... So I, uhh, I guess I have a good mindset of someone who's scared and looking for a place to hide..."

Daryl just gave a nod, instead of some shrewd remark Jo was expecting, and for a second he felt a little tougher.

Daryl being the type that would chase after him and beat him up back in the world before this. But then he thought about it, Daryl wasn't the type of guy to beat him up, it was guys with Daryl's body type. For a moment he understood what Lacey saw in him, he _is_ a good guy, it's just his exterior that seemed to keep people at a distance.

"Trails gone." Rick sighed.

"No...faint. She came through here." Daryl led the way, the three men following...

* * *

><p>"Do you think they'll find her?... Sophia?" Erin looked up to Lacey, but when the blonde turned to look at her her gaze fell to her shirt, a shirt Carol had given to Erin. It was one of Sophia's shirts.<p>

Lacey noticed how the girl was reacting to all of this, in truth, she was terrified for Sophia too, but she had to be optimistic, just like how she used to be at the hospital.

She shifted a sleeping Honey in her arms and put an arm around Erin, "Yeah, I think they'll find her, I think she'll be just fine."

"Maybe someone else will find her, like you found me?" Erin offered, hope in her voice, that reached Carol. She turned and looked at the three perched on the hood of a broken down car, a sad smile on her mouth.

"Maybe." Lacey agreed, but then sat up a little, her eyes squinting, with the lack of sunlight to aide her she still saw them, "They're back."

She slid down the hood, helping Erin off after as Daryl, Rick, Rob and Jo climbed over the rail.

"You didn't find her?" Carol whimpered, tears springing to her eyes again. Lacey put an arm around the heartbroken mother.

"Her trail went cold, we'll pick it up again at first light." Rick reassured her, though as everyone piled around to hear the news, he grew a little tense.

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own, to spend the night all alone in the woods." Carol begged, and before Rick could try and explain to her day light was leaving, Daryl piped up, "Huntin' in the darks no good, we'd just be trippin' over ourselves. More people'd get lost."

"But she's twelve, she can't be out there on her own. You didn't find anything?" Carol looked back to Rick, the authority figure, the one she had relied on to find her baby.

"I know this is hard, but I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there." Rick tried to gain eye contact with the woman, but she was having a hard time keeping calm, her eyes were watering, and she was starting to feel woozy, her vision spun and she looked close to fainting.

"And we tracked her for a while." Daryl spoke up again, trying to help with the situation, Lacey turned her gaze to him, sending him a small smile.

"We have to make this an organised effort. Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee this." Rick stated this to the entire group, Jo and Rob were already in, and Lacey was more than eager to help. She had the belief that they would find Sophia, she wasn't putting up a front for Carol or Erin's sake, she believed it. They were all survivors in this, that meant Sophia too.

"I-Is that blood?" Carol noticed the red on Daryl's pants, her breathing began to quicken and Lacey warned her to calm down before she lost her breath and passed out. She gave Honey to Robert, and kept her arm snugger around Carol.

"We took down a walker." Rick explained quickly.

"A walker... Oh god." Carol trying her hardest to follow Lacey's quiet directions, but it was getting much worse as the seconds passed.

"There was no sign that it was ever anywhere near Sophia." Rick tried to find the woman's eyes again, but she was far from calm, and no amount of sense would calm her.

"How can you know that?" Andrea wondered from the crowd.

Rick, Rob and Jo glanced over at Daryl, "We cut the sumbitch open, made sure."

Lacey felt the trembling in Carol worsen, and for a moment her knees gave out, Lacey in nurse mode eased the scared mother to sit on the rail, telling her to take deep breaths. Lori took a seat next to Carol, taking over as the stabliser.

"How could you just leave her out there to begin with? How could you just leave her?" Carol asked, a bit of anger in her tone now.

"Those two walkers were on us. I had to draw them off, it was her best chance." Rick explained, dropping into a squat to finally look the woman in the face, to show her just how much regret he actually felt.

"He didn't have a choice, Carol." Jo added from his spot next to Amy.

"How's she supposed to find her way back on her own? She's just a child. She's just a _child._" Carol looked to Jo, and the others who had helped in the search, who's faces mirrored Rick's, and the tears started to fall.

"It was my only option. The only choice I could make." Rick begged her to understand, but in reality, he knew that there was no way anyone could understand. In this kind of situation, your child chased by walkers, then lost in the forest, unable to find, and it was getting darker and darker by the minute... and they were still out there. No one could remain calm with that in mind.

"I'm sure nobody doubts that." Shane noted, though his tone held something different, at least from what Lacey heard.

"My little girl got left in the woods." Carol cried quietly, Andrea sat on the other side of her, Lori and her making an effort to... well... just have her know they were there for her.

Lacey sighed as Rick started down the highway, between the cars and to who knows where. The amount of guilt on his shoulders could make the strongest of men break, but he had to stay strong, he was the leader.

All the light left the sky and eventually everyone found a place to sleep for the night, having no time to set up any sort of campsite, everyone managed in where ever place they could squeeze into, the majority were crammed into the RV.

In the Cherroke Lacey lay awake, staring at the ceiling. She kept an arm around each girl, keeping them close to her, knowing that at any moment the same thing could happen to them that happened to Sophia. They could be taken from her. But she wouldn't let that happen, and she'd find Sophia. Everything would be put back right, everyone would be in their rightful places.

"You gotta get some shut eye if you plan on findin' that girl." Daryl's voice whispered, and through what light the moon cast through the windows Lacey could see him staring at her.

"I know... I'm just... worried. If it were me out there, being Sophia's age, I'd be okay, I'd be able to fight... but Sophia's not like me, you_ know _how she grew up... I'm just hoping that something like- clicks, and she suddenly becomes this amazing survivalist... ya know, until we find her." Lacey admitted quietly, her gaze back up on the ceiling.

"Yeah... well that skinny brother a'yours said somethin' 'bout telling the kids about runnin' and hidin' a while back. Said he told them to not look back and always listen." he picked up a strand of her hair and twirled it around his finger as he spoke.

A smile pulled at Lacey's lips, "If Sophia remembers that, she'll be just fine."

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Walking Dead. Not the show and not the graphic novel.<strong>

**A/N: SOPHIA! ! ! D:**


	27. 13 point 5

_"I __**really**__ think you should reconsider. I mean, I was just making an observation, just like you fellas did, and ya know, my brother was actually on the football team, and-and-" JoJo usually spoke quickly when he was nervous, and right then, being cornered by two hefty gents straight out of Georgia, who in actuality brought Jo's rude comment onto themselves, he was truthfully quite nervous._

_He'd already been shoved, but the first punch was yet to be thrown, this was his window of escape, before the first punch. The two men spoke in heavy accents, which Jo found himself finding hard to understand, but what he could decipher was along the lines of they were going to 'beat him so his badly his family would feel it'._

_"Wait, wait, wait!" he put his hands up, and the men stopped, to Jo's surprise and he gulped, "Do you know who Lacey Black is?"_

_A few times Jo had dropped Lacey's name and he'd successfully walked away from fights with that. The men nodded, "Yeah? She's my sister."_

_In response to that, they just laughed, believing there was no way a scrawny, nerdy kid like him could be related to her, and continued to back him up into a corner._

_"Worth a try." Jo mummbled with a shrug and ducked between the two men and ran top speed. They chased after him, like they usually did, and one wonders why they'd still run after him? Well, Joseph 'JoJo' Black has got a real smart mouth on him, and some people don't exactly like his witty remarks, and some don't even understand them but they're very aware they were just burned and the kid needed to be set straight. And what better way to set someone straight other than a beating?_

_Jo pulled out his phone and hit Lacey's speed dial number._

_"Hello? Jo? What are you doing calling me in the middle of the day, I'm at work, it's not even my lunch yet-"_

_"I know! And I'm sorry. I just- I got in a scuffle with some buff dudes right out of hillbilly hell and well..."_

_"You and your damn mouth."_

_"I know. I know, and-" he turned his head to see if they were still chasing him, and they were, of course, "And I name dropped you and they just laughed, so here I am, running along Atlanta looking for a fire escape to climb up. Is a hospital considered a sanctuary? I don't think I'm near any churches."_

_"If you __**must**__ run to my work, do so. But don't let those guys come in after you, I don't want to get into trouble."_

_"Got it, thanks sis, love ya."_

_"Yeah, yeah. Ya little scamp."_

_JoJo laughed as he shoved his phone back in his pocket and skidded before taking a sharp turn into an alleyway. _

_"Ah, fire escapes. I feel as if I owe you something for the many times you've saved my ass." he mummbled and jumped up to grab the lowest rung of the ladder and pulled himself up._

_He crouched low as he ran up the steps and toward the roof. He peered over the edge, noting his would've-been-attackers coming to a stop just outside the alleyway, searching high and low for him before giving up after a minute._

_"Hah," he puffed out a laugh and fell to his back, catching his breath, he looked up at the bright spring sky, "still got it..." he sighed, and stayed on the rooftop for a good ten minutes before climbing down the steps and ladder and walking to Lacey's hospital. The semester was over and he had a small part of spring and the whole summer just to himself, which would be a dream if he didn't get bored so easily. And if none of his siblings were there to stop him from acting out, he'd get into trouble, such as the example above._

I'm not saying I pick fights, 'cause I don't. I just happen to be an easy target to start a fight with, ya know? Skinny guy sitting at the bar nursing a rum and coke by himself? I mean, who wouldn't want to mess with him... and by him I mean me.

I've been known to have a smart mouth, something I've been told since I was saaaaay 7? I can say some downright rude shit to someone, in a joking way of course, but, apparently, they don't get the joke. What can I say? I'm good with words and I've got a crude sense of humour. And I'm good with my legs, after my good words have gotten me pulled outside of an establishment in the back alley behind it.

I've been slugged in the face more times than I can count, but even more times than I've been hit, I've been able to escape. I run fast and I listen for my attackers. That's my thing. Run and listen. By the sounds of their shouted threats and I can usually figure out where, and if I have time, to hide somewhere, and once I hide, I wait it out. Call me a chicken or what ever you please, but I manage to not get my ass beat with my skills... or, ya know, my sister shows up and knocks people out. And ya know, I probably should be embarrassed by my sister fighting some of my battles, but I'm not. I mean, why should I be? Sure, it makes me seem weaker, but the girl is good at what she does, and so am I. I've got my own survival system, and it's worked out pretty well for me thus far.

Beaten body? Or excellently sculpted legs? Hmmm? What would you choose?

-_J.B._


	28. 14

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews- oh wait, there were none. What's up guys? What's up...  
>Badass-ery is soon to come, as well as some 'aww' moments and some 'when the hell is this going to pick up again? Shit!' moments :D But I assure you, it will pick up, and I've got some twists and turns a-comin', so. Ya know. Hang on, just hang on, people.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>ID Bracelets  Once, Never Again_

* * *

><p>The next morning everyone was up and ready, Rick rolled out a case of sharp tools, something that Carl had found yesterday among all the cars. "Everyone takes a weapon."<p>

Robert took up one of the sharp objects, a hatchet of sorts, he observed it before giving it a nod of approval, Lacey shook her head at him with a snort. It had already been discussed earlier who would be going and who would be staying.

T-Dog would stay, do to the injury on his arm. There wasn't anything Lacey could do for him until they got their hands on some proper medical tools to stitch it up. Dale would stay to fix the RV's radiator (and watch over T-Dog, per Lacey's quiet request).

Ben would stay, because Shane wanted someone on the highway that he believed could defend them if needed, and Amy would stay to take care of Erin. And Blondie and Rocket would stay. After having seen Blue find Blondie _and_ Erin, it was assumed that he was a champion at locating things as well. Leaving the rest of the group to travel into the woods and start the search.

"Think you'll be alright with just your bat?" Robbie wondered as he and Lacey walked over to where Jo and Amy stood speaking quietly.

"As a matter of fact, I do think I'll be alright. You guys just keep on with your sharp sticks, I'm cool with this." Jo smirked proudly.

"These aren't the kinds of weapons we need, what about the guns." the four of them turned to see Andrea speaking, while the rest picked a weapon to their choosing.

"We've been over that, Dale, Rick, Ben and I are carrying. Can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles." Shane explained to her.

"It's not the trees on worried about." she retorted, sending a quick glance at her sister.

"Say someone fires at the wrong moment, and a herd happens to be passing by, then it's game over for all of us. So you need to get over it." Shane stated firmly, and with that Andrea was left speechless.

"Your sister's got a gun?" Lacey turned to Amy, the younger blonde just nodded, "Our Dad gave it to her, said we needed to be able to defend ourselves when we were out on the road."

"What, you mean like hitch hiking?" Lacey raised a brow.

"No," Amy chuckled, "a couple years ago we started this sort of road trip thing, whenever she finished a semester, she'd come pick me up and it sort of became a tradition."

"Ooooh." Lacey nodded in understanding, "Totally get it now. Jo and I did that once, except it wasn't intentional... We drove to Alabama, realised it when we save the 'Welcome' sign, then drove back home. Needless to say, that was not the way to burger joint just off the interstate Ben told us was just 20 minutes away from the house." Amy laughed along with the three siblings, each of them usually had some crazy, weird, or funny story to tell, it was rare of have a truly dull moment with them.

"The idea is to take the creek up 'bout five miles, turn around and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creek." Daryl explained to the group, and then headed for the highway railing.

"Stay quiet, stay sharp, keep space between you, but always stay within sight of each other." Rick said, that guilt still heavy on him.

"Everyone assemble your packs." Shane ordered after Rick.

Lacey, always having her bag with her, was already set. She turned to Amy, "So just, um, keep her safe. Make sure she stays calm and, uhh, see if you can get her to talk, ya know, about... anything."

Amy nodded, "Got it... You sure you don't wanna leave Honey here too?"

Lacey laughed, "Now, now, I don't want to overwhelm you. She'll be fine with me."

She left the three to grab said girl from the RV, she was asleep still, but with help she was easily slipped into the baby carrier wrap thing Robert had fashioned from some old shirts and some well secured knots. Robert was crafty, there was no doubt about that. Like a fucking MacGyver of clothing.

"You sure about bringin' baby girl along?" Daryl mummbled as Lacey, with Honey strapped to her back, climbed over the rail.

"She's coming with me, and I won't hear another damn word about it."

Daryl put his hands up in defensive, "Alright, shit."

"Let's head out." Rick came up, those that were coming with them were behind him, including Carl.

"You're coming too?" Lacey grinned down at the boy.

"Yeah. Sophia's my friend, and I wanna help." he nodded firmly.

Lacey smirked, and pat him on the back, "Alright. Good man."

The trek through the trees and growth was a quiet one, just the sound of bugs and birds to accompany them, while Daryl led the way, everyone kept silent as they followed, watching where their feet stepped, on constant alert, and trying their hardest not to jump when a twig would snap or a branch would graze their arm. Blue, doing his part, peered through his fringe and sniffed with his nose while staying at JoJo's side. Lacey found herself thinking about the past, after having told Amy that story earlier, but with their current predicament she found herself thinking about experiences with being lost and scared.

"Rob and I got lost once, in the city. We wandered away and lost Dad, but Rob kept his cool and we found our way back to our apartment building, where police cars were piled up and Mom was crying with Jo in her arms... I think Ben was sitting in one of the police cars, making the lights flash..."

"You remember that? You were like 6." Rob's brow raised up in disbelief.  
>"You were 7." she noted quickly, "And it was tramatic, of course I remember. That's when Dad gave all of us keys to the apartment, and those little ID bracelets with our name and address on it. And mom slapped the hell out of us... in a loving way, of course."<p>

"What amount of good would those bracelets be now?" Jo snorted.

"We walked 60 blocks." Robbie mummbled, then nodded with an impressed look on his face.  
>"That's only like 3 miles though." Lacey pointed out.<br>"Still, we were kids, we had small legs."

Lori, and a few others, even Carol, let out a little laugh at the two recollecting their past.

It grew quiet on the search again, and only minutes later the group found themselves in a crouch from Rick's signal, all seeing what lay not too far off from them. A tent.

They all approached slowly, Jo put his hand out to stop Blue from venturing any closer, letting Daryl go ahead to check and see what exactly was inside.

"Lace, back him up." Rick whispered, and without another word, Robert pulled Honey from the carrier and Lacey crept quickly and quietly into the little campsite, trench knife out and tight in her grip.

Like a pair of wolves sniffing out for the safety of the rest of the pack, they each looked around and tried to peer into the tent, but there was no way of knowing what was in there, they couldn't see or hear anything. Daryl gave Rick and shrug.

Rick quietly instructed Carol to call out to Sophia, if she was in there Carol's voice should be the first voice she should hear.

And so she did, but there came no answer, or movement. Daryl unzipped the door the rest of the way and let out an ungodly smell.

"Oh, holy shit." Lacey winced and took a few steps back, while Daryl just continued in.

Carol called out in question to him, and a moment later he popped back out, "It ain't her."

Lacey walked back to where Robert held Honey, and let him slip her back into the makeshift carrier.

"Was a guy, did what Jenner said, 'opted out', ain't that what he called it?" Daryl explained when Andrea asked what was in there if it wasn't Sophia.

"So we keep going." JoJo's voice spoke, "Come on, people, we're wasting precious day light."

Robert raised a brow at his sister when the youngest of them pressed on in the direction Daryl had instructed, Lacey just shrugged, apparently it was Daryl _and_ Jo leading the pack now.

But just as Jo, as well as his trusted dog counter part were heading in the direction, the sound of bells came from another direction. Everyone kept quiet, looking around at each other to confirm that they were all indeed hearing the same thing, and tried to pin point where it was coming from.

And as Rick started to run, everyone followed.

They came to a minor clearing, Rick looking from side to side, still trying to pin point the location of the bells. They were no where near a town, so where the hell could bells be coming from?

"What direction?" Robert asked, taking in a few breaths as they came to a halt again.

"I think that way, I'm pretty sure." Rick pointed.

"Damn, it's hard to tell out here." Shane breathed.

"If we hear them, maybe Sophia does too." Carol spoke hopefully, the tone was good to hear and honestly, very uplifting to the rest.

"Someone's ringing those bells, they may be calling others." Glenn offered.

"Or signalling that they found her." Andrea, having finally caught up breathed heavily.

"She could be ringing them herself. Come on." Rick lead the pack again, Blue followed the uniformed officer closely as they sprinted through the trees. The toll of the bells stopped, but Rick didn't falter, he kept strong and fast in the direction he believed.

Another clearing, the group stopped to catch their breath again, they were on the edge of a grave yard, and just next to that was a church.

Blue had kept on, running through the uprooted ground of the graves, cautious of the gaping holes and stopped just in front of the church stoop.

"Who in the hell puts a church out here?" Lacey coughed slightly, before taking a few deep breaths.

"That can't be it. No steeple, no bells." Shane noted, but Rick just wiped the sweat from his face and kept on. The group gathered around the doors, Rick guiding Blue away from the door, the dog trying to push his nose against it to gain entrance. Jo called the dog off quietly, and with an unspoken understanding Daryl and Rick quietly pushed open the red church doors.

But it seemed even with the slightest squeak, the three walkers seated in the pews turned and saw what they believed was their lunch.

Robert guided Lacey away when she appeared to recoil and whimper, but as she went down the steps she heard the smashing of the skulls, the growls, and the grunts as the men destroyed the undead inhabiting the church.

"Sophia!" Rick called loudly.

"I'm tellin' you it's the wrong church, there's no steeple, man. No steeple." Shane tried to convince his friend, and a moment later the bells starting ringing again, right above them.

The majority of the group being inside ran out and down the steps, they all found the source on the side of the church, a loud speaker blaring away. It wasn't real bells at all, it was just the sound of them. Glenn walked over to the box that controlled the sound and shut it off.

"Timer. It's on a timer." Daryl mummbled. And just in that moment, all the hope seemed to disappear from each of the group members. Though Lacey still had a shimmer of hope, she always tried to think on the brighter side, even in the darkest of times she'd search for the tiniest speck of light... but she really had thought they'd have found Sophia by now. I mean... how could the girl have wandered off so far in such a short amount of time?

"I'm gonna go back in for a bit." Carol said, her voice carrying a bit of a shake, a few others followed her back in.

"How 'bout you, Lace?" Daryl asked nodding his head toward the church, Lacey took a seat in the grass near the steps, carefully taking off the carrier to bring Honey into her lap.

"Nope," she shook her head, "Been in a church once. Never again."

He raised a brow at her. "Hey, now, don't look look at me like I'm some godless heathen. I believe in stuff, I just... don't like churches. They creep me out, and after seeing a trio of walkers seemingly attending mass, well that just makes it a little creepier."

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say."

"I'm gonna walk around, see if Sophia did hear the bells." Lacey said and with a groan she stood back on her feet, Honey circled her hands around her neck securely.

"I'll come with ya." he took the little girl from the blondes arms, seeing the exhaustion in her from running for two, and the humidity and heat were definitely not helping. But he knew better than to tell her 'I told ya so' about brining Honey along. He knew how she felt. The same thing could've happened to any of the other kids, she wanted them all safe, all protected. And of course, she'd probably never let that baby out of her sight now.

It had been a good 20 minutes before everyone filed out of the church and found shade beneath some trees near the grave yard.

"Lacey!" Shane called her name, and she turned instantly, he waved her over where he was heading over to where Rick stood not too far off.

"What's going on?" she mummbled, as they walked.

"I'll admit it, you're one of our strongest in this group, and I figure your opinion stands, uhh, well, a little higher than the rest. You're a leader, like Rick and me..." Shane mummbled back, making sure not to make any eye contact with the girl.  
>"Umm, thanks...?"<br>"And I might need you as back up to talk him out of some things, if they come up, you know, a doctor's order kind of thing." Shane added.  
>"Uh, sure." Lacey rolled her eyes as they got closer and closer to the man in uniform with a crease in his sweat covered brow.<p>

"Gotta move here, man. These people are spent. There's only so many hours of day light left, we still got a long way back." Shane said once they reached Rick.

"I can't stop yet." he stated simply, and Lacey admired that, but still, it was only, what, just barely over a week ago that he woke from his coma, stumbled out of the hospital and managed his way to Atlanta. The guy had way too much on his mind.

"We still got a lot of ground to cover on the whole other side of the creek bed, so we search that on the way back." Shane offered, sending a glance toward Lacey, looking for that back up he mentioned moments ago.

"We heard those church bells she could be near by." Rick defended, determind to stick around the area.

"She could be a lot of things."

"Hey, woah. We're gonna find her and she's gonna be just fine." Lacey stated firmly, Shane's idea of her being a voice of reason going down the tubes quickly.

"I can't go back. Her bein' out here is my fault."

Shane chuckled sarcastically, "That's great. Now they got you doubting yourself, huh."

"What about you, you doubt me?"

"Hey, we can assign all kinds of blame."

"This means something, finding her. It'll be the miracle we need. We can't give up."

Shane looked to Lacey, hoping she'd actually pull through for him, but of course, she didn't. She was on Rick's side, she was just as determind and would see this through until Sophia was back in her mothers arms safe and sound. And he seemed to take that, 2 against 1, and patted his friend's shoulder before walking back toward the group.

"Well put, Rick. But you need to ease up on the guilt trip you're putting yourself through." Lacey snuck her arm around his neck and gave him a quick hug, looking into his eyes she gave him a small smile, and he responded with a short nod.

Though Lori was more her friend than Rick, there were times when they stood on common ground, and they seemed like the only two that shared the same thoughts and believed in the same things. Lacey cared about Rick just as much as she cared for her brothers.

They turned to the group to see Shane addressing them.

"Ya'll gotta follow the creek bed back. Daryl, you're in charge. Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back search the area for another hour, just to be thorough."

"Jo, Blue and I'll do the same. If you guys head east, we'll go west." Robert spoke up, Shane nodded to him and Jo, "Just an hour, then head back to the interstate."

"You're splittin' us up. You sure?" Daryl, having Honey in his arms still, adjusted her slightly, as well as his crossbow hanging from his shoulder as he looked between Shane and Robert.

"Yeah." Shane sighed, "We'll catch up to you."

"I wanna stay too," Carl stepped foward, "I'm her friend."

Lacey smirked smally and stepped away from Rick and toward the group that would scope out the creek bed, but not before speaking to her brothers.

"I don't think I can stress this enough," she sighed, hands on her hips, "Be. Fucking. Careful."

The brothers laughed, before hugging their sister. "Promise." Robert nodded.

She looked to Jo, who shook his head slowly, "I can't make any promises." a smirk pulled at his lips and she punched his arm.

"Ow!" he laughed, "I was joking, I promise too."

"I'd tell _you_ to be careful, but I think you're covered pretty well." Robert nodded toward Daryl, she followed his gaze and caught him looking away just before she gained eye contact.

"Yep, I guess I am." she smiled, and the groups split up. Shane, Rick and Carl toward the east. JoJo, Blue and Robbie to the west, and the rest back toward the highway.

As they walked Lacey, with Honey back in her arms, finding the carrier far too much of hassel in all this heat and trekking, found herself pondering about the safety of the children. And putting her thoughts out verbally she wondered what others thought, seeking their opinions. Though a few grumbles came around the shrunken group, she now found herself in a small debate with Lori.

"I'm not saying they should all have guns or something, I'm just saying they should have a weapon of their own, know how to use it and know how to defend themselves. If ever we aren't their to protect the children they should know how to protect themselves. That's it." Lacey explained, walking alongside Lori while keeping her eyes on Daryl.

She found herself going in and out of thoughts and conversations. She couldn't help herself and she could explain it easy, he made her feel like a horny school girl, she would stare and gawk, fantasize and wonder.

She found it sort of funny, when she was younger she knew she'd never want to marry or get serious with a guy from the south, she just figured it wouldn't work out. But she snorted in her thoughts, '_Look_ _at me now. Drooling over a redneck, who appeared to not own anything with sleeves, not that I'm complaining or anything._'

"You know, that wouldn't be a bad idea." Andrea mummbled in agreement, successfully pulling Lacey back into the conversation, and tearing her eyes away from Daryl's backside.

Lacey nodded her thanks to the woman before looking to Lori who shrugged, "I don't like it, I'm sorry, but I just don't. Just because we're surviving doesn't mean we have to turn our children into little weapon wielding people. It may be the end of the world, but they're still just children."

Lacey smiled and looked down to Honey who was grabbing around her neck again, giving her that small baby like hug, her little brown eyes curious, yet happy, "Say what you will, Lori, but when the time comes I want my girls to be able to fight and kill a walker if I'm not there to protect them."

A distant crack stopped everyone, making them spin on their heel toward the direction from where the sound came.

Their eyes searched carefully, though from the far off sound of it, it couldn't anywhere close to them.

"What was that?" Glenn wondered quietly.

"Gun shot... had to be..." Lori mummbled in response, and Lacey saw the chill run up her friends spine, as well as a spatter of goosebumps on her arms.

"Let's keep goin'." Daryl insisted after a few long moments of stillness and silence.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Walking Dead in any form.**

**A/N: Also! Thoughts on the .5's? A couple reviews would be nice :)**


	29. 14 point 5

_"The game is Indian Poker, gentlemen. But as I like to call it, stick the card to your head place a dumb ass wager on a card you can't even see. But that's why it's called a gamble, isn't it! Ace's are high, betting ends before the card reveal." Lacey folded her hands on the coffee table in front of her with a pleasant smirk._

_"You're so weird." JoJo laughed, "You do realise we're the only ones home right now, right?"_

_Lacey nodded, "Of course. I just wanted to set the gambling mood, and let the betting begin!"_  
><em>She slammed a 10 on the table. JoJo raised a brow, "That's it?"<em>

_"What about you Mr. DeepPockets?" she stuck her tongue out at him and smirked._

_He pulled out a twenty and two fives from his wallet. Lacey's smirk fell and she leaned back on the floor to dig through her pockets, "Shit. I think I got some change here."_

_JoJo laughed, "I don't want your damn change, Lace. Just shuffle the cards." he ran his hands over his face and slid down from the couch on to carpeted floor, opposite from Lacey between the coffee table._

_She shrugged, "If you say so. I'm __**pretty** sure I had some quarters."  
>"Oooooooh." Jo mocked her and laughed as he dodged a paper coaster she tossed at him.<em>

_She shuffled the cards and pulled two out of the deck, one for her, one for her brother._  
><em>At the same time they snapped the cards up to their foreheads, holding them there with a finger.<em>  
><em>Lacey chuckled, "Say goodbye to your 30 bucks, little bro."<em>

_He shook his head, smiling widely, "I don't think so, Lacey-poo."_

_The front door opened with a heavy and house rattling slam, "Guys? Guys!" Ben's voice was shrill as he called out to them, his steps entered the living room, his face was white and he looked a little sweaty._

_"Jo, Lace, we need to go. Pack the essentials. We leave in 6 minutes."_  
><em>The younger siblings looked at each other as Ben bolted for the kitchen.<em>

_"What?" Lacey stood up and followed him, finding him shoving tons of things from the pantry into a backpack, "What's going on?"_

_"Lacey. There's no time to explain. Just pack some things, we need to go." he nudged her out of the kitchen and down the hall._

_"What about Robbie?"_  
><em>"He's on his way, I called him, just go, Lace! Pack!"<em>

_The next 6 minutes passed by in what seemed like only a few seconds. They were out the door, car left in the driveway with the doors open, the house completely locked and seemingly abandoned. Ben and Robert knew what was going on, they led the way, and though Rob seemed the calmer of the two, it was he who would take the first kill._

Lacey and I didn't even know **what** we saw. It was crazy. I mean, the dude was covered in these gnarly wounds, his eyes were all fucked up and he just started coming at us like we were his dinner. And Robert raised the shotgun and took the guy out, a shot to the chest, and another to the head. We freaked, Robbie just _killed_ a guy.

Ben explained, trying to calm us down, telling us that the guy was dead before Robert shot him. It was like a fucking riddle, and we weren't too sure about it.

But once you face your first walker, with the lives of your family members, even strangers, in your hands, you learn to kill quickly. And after the first one, the rest just comes easily. It's that, kill or be killed, thing, once you do it, you get it.

And something else happens when your life and the lives of others are under a constant threat. You become brave... or you're already brave and you get braver... In my case, just brave.

Like a fireman or something... but anyway, I couldn't just stand there and watch Rick chase after the walkers chasing after a terrified and screaming Sophia. And I couldn't believe no one else was going in there to help... but I guess it was all the shock of the situation.

But I stood up, I got my weapon and I went in there. I caught up with Rick, and bashed in the head of one of the walking corpses. And that's when Rob came in for the assist... but we couldn't find the girl. The little girl I'd grown very fond of... she was like a younger, perhaps skinnier, female version of me. I like her, and I sure as hell am not going to stand by while she's out there on her own, lost and scared. That girl will not die or turn into a walker while I still walk this earth.

-_J.B._


	30. 15

**A/N: 11,000 views. That's a lot. Those that apologised in the last chapters reviews, you don't have to be sorry! I didn't mean to guilt anybody :P so umm, I think this chapter is now the longest chapter, but it's all pretty sad and wahwahwah, so enjoy the blandness of it all! :D**

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><p><em>Rick Jr.  Missin' Mama / Angel_

* * *

><p>The group kept moving at a slow, tired pace, but was still on the lookout for Sophia. Lacey noticed Lori's attitude change after the shot they had heard over 30 minutes ago.<p>

She turned again, in the direction from where it had come from, what she was looking for? Who knows what. But she seemed to be waiting for some sort of explanation to come running up to her.

"You still worrying about it?" Andrea asked.

"It was a gun shot." she stated, her eyes still searching.

"We all heard it." Daryl said, coming to lean against a tree trunk. Lacey tore her gaze away from him, memories flashing behind her eyes, nearly causing a blush to rise in her cheeks.

"It could've come from the highway. Any one of them packing could've fired that shot, and we're right in the middle. It's hard to tell from which direction it came, Lori." Lacey offered to the worried woman.

"Why one? Why just one gun shot?" Lori pressed back, and it was a valid question. Why just one?

"Maybe they took down a walker." Daryl replied, no one else giving any thought into the conversation.

"Please, don't patronise me, you know Rick wouldn't risk a gun shot to put down one walker. Or Shane, or Ben. They do it quietly." Lori shot back.

And with Lori's rational thinking, Lacey began to get on edge. Why would they take a shot...?

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol wondered, causing even more anxiety to rush through Lacey.

"There's nothin' we can do about it anyway, walk around these woods chasin' echoes." Daryl tried his hand at rationalizing the situation, being as he was the leader of this group.

"So what do we do?" Lori asked, clearly aggravated, but still somewhat loyal to the leader. Seeing as he was basically their only way to 'salvation' on the highway, she'd forget about the shot for the time being.

"Same as we been, beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway."

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV." Andrea offered, and they all began walking again.

"Or better yet, they might already be there, so let's get a move on." Lacey put a hand on her friend's shoulder, Lori gave her a sorry excuse for a smile and they followed their guide.

But not everyone was going, and they all stopped again when Andrea apologized to Carol, "I'm sorry for what you're going through. It must be... awful."

"Yeah... it sort of is... thank you..." Carol mummbled, her eyes flickering between Andrea and the twigs and leaves on the ground, but then looked up a moment later to the rest of the group, "The thought of her, all alone out here, by herself. It's the not knowing that's killing me. I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't end up like her father."

For a fraction of a second most of the group looked toward Lacey, the bruise on her face was just a pale yellow now, and the cut on her lip was mostly healed. It was almost as if the memory of Ed was kept alive by the marks on her face, but with time, as they healed, he was slowly fading away. And most wouldn't openly admit it, but they were better off without Ed, the bastard was useless, rude and mean.

"We're all hoping and praying with you, for what it's worth." Andrea assured her, tearing her eyes away from Lacey to nod to Carol.

Lacey rolled her eyes slightly, she'd noticed the look for everyone, but if they remembered correctly, she got a hit in too. She wasn't a sad case of abuse, she put that confrontation in the category of 'fights', and though she'd been taken away, he'd been beaten to a pulp by Shane... so... she called that a win. She was tough, had they forgotten that?

"I'll tell ya what it's worth. Not a damn thing." Daryl stepped through the group and toward the two women, looking both of them square in the face, "It's a waste of time all this hopin' and prayin'..." Carol looked down, a sad look taking over her features, Lacey had half a mind to slap Daryl for crushing her like that, but he spoke again a second later, "We're gonna locate that little girl, and she's gonna be just fine... Am I the only one zen around here? Good lord." he stepped away from the women and went back to the head of the group, leading the way through the trees toward the highway, making everyone follow before they lost him.

As Daryl passed her, Lacey tried her best to hold in a snort, but only half succeeded. She caught up with him and nudged him with her elbow, "For a second there I thought you were gonna be a total dick."

"You ain't one of them prayin' types, are ya?"

"Uuh, no... sort of depends on the situation. But right now I'm not, I know we'll find her. I mean. It's been a day, she couldn't have wandered too far. We'll find her, she'll probably be a little filthy and hungry, but she'll be okay."

"Damn straight." Daryl mummbled, keeping his eyes forward, forcing a smirk down when Lacey started laughing beside him.

* * *

><p>"How much farther?" Lori breathed, it had been about another 20 minutes, and everyone was getting more and more tired and a lot more irritatable. Though Daryl seemed the only one just fine, not even slightly winded.<p>

"Not much. Maybe a hundred yards. As the crow flies." he said simply, he pressed on as the group scrambled on tired legs to keep up.

"Too bad we're not crows." Andrea mummbled.

Lacey wiped the sweat from her brow and scoffed a laugh, "_As the crow flies?_ What in the hell is _that_supposed to mean?"

"You want me to convert that into city blocks for you?" Daryl retorted, "S'the shortest route, college girl."

"Oh, _well_, excuse me for not taking my course in hillbilly terminology. I was a little busy with Anatomy."

Daryl snorted, "Anatomy? I got your anatomy right he-"

A terrified scream pulled everyone away from the slightly hysterical conversation between the two, everyone in the group was accounted for, except...

Andrea had fallen behind.  
>Everyone bolted back, searching for the woman with weapons ready.<br>"Andrea!" Lori called out, how that much distance had been created between the group and screeching blonde was a mystery, but that didn't really matter.

What did matter was the walker on her, and she'd lost her weapon in the midst of her terror.

Lacey was already charging foward, taking out her knife and about ready to pass of Honey to Carol when, well, something that seemed straight out of a movie played out right in front of them.

A woman on a horse, with a heavy wooden bat struck the walker away from Andrea and immediately began calling out names. Another horse trotted into the area, coming to a halt next to rider.

"Lori? Lori Grimes? And Lacey Black?" the stranger spoke.

"I'm Lacey, she's Lori, who the hell are you?" Lacey, though speaking defensively, sheathed her knife at the sight of another human being, she figured she was trust worthy enough, even if they didn't know her she was better company than the dead. And having saved Andrea and knowing their names, she couldn't be much harm.

"Rick sent me, you gotta come now." she spoke again.

"What?" Lori spoke up this time, staring up at the female rider.

"There's been an accident with Carl, he's been shot. And Rick said Lacey's a nurse, is that right?"

"Yeah, bu-" Lacey had barely any time to register just exactly what she'd said. Carl _what_?

"Ain't time for any questions. He's still alive, but you gotta come now." she told Lori, and Lacey glanced at her friend, for a moment she was shocked still, but the girl spoke again, shaking the reigns for emphasis, "Rick needs you, just come."

Lori dropped her backpack from her shoulders and saddled up behind the mystery girl, and with that done, Lacey dropped her bag and passed Honey off to Carol.

"Get on girl and follow us." the girl said to Lacey once she'd placed a quick kiss on Honey's forehead. She nodded and moved toward the riderless horse beside her.

"Woah, woah, woah! We don't know this girl! You can't get on that horse!" Daryl called after both the women, but Lacey carried on and though she'd never approached a horse in her entire life, she mounted up with ease. It was just one of those days.

"Rick says you got others on the highway, in that big traffic snarl? Backtrack to the first road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox, the name's Greene." and the girl set the horse in the direction from where she came.

The group watched as two of their own rode off into the woods, growing more and more distant.

"Ma!" Honey's cry sounded loudly in the shocked silence of the group, her hands reached out to where the mysterious rider took off with Lacey and Lori.

"Your Mama's gonna be fine, baby girl," Daryl took the girls outstretched hand, she looked up with sad eyes, "She better be." he grumbled before continuing leading the group to the highway.

* * *

><p>Arriving at the Greene house the rider guided Lacey past Rick who took his wife into his arms just in front of the porch.<br>"It's a bullet wound, in his right side, it's shattered into a few pieces, my Dad's doin' what he can for now. Your man, Shane, and a friend of ours, Otis, went to the high school a few miles away to get some stuff to perform surgery." she spoke quickly as she led Lacey to the room where Carl was.

An old man with white hair and an old fashioned blood pressure measuring device sat next to the bed where Carl lay sleeping, just as white as the sheets surrounding him.

"Oh, God." Lacey put a hand to her mouth, tears springing to her eyes as she approached the bed. She forced the tears back and tore her eyes away from the boy, "What's his status?" she asked the old man.

"Internal bleeding, his father's given one transfusion, but his pressure is dropping. Supplies for surgery should be here soon." the man replied and stood up.

Lacey nodded, then shook her head, "Sorry," she mummbled, "Lacey Black." she stepped forward and stuck her hand out to the man.

"Hershel Greene. Rick said you're a nurse, it's true, right? Because I'm goin' to need all the help I can get."  
>Lacey nodded, "Definitely, Mr. Greene, though I haven't had much experience in the OR I'll be of as much help as I can."<p>

At this moment, Lori and Rick walked in, Lacey stepped aside and let the parents go to their boy. She leaned against the wall, noticing the girl, the rider, had gone.

She sat back and witnessed Hershel break the news to Lori, she watched the strongest woman she knew crumble. She couldn't take much more of the tears, soon she'd find her own tears falling, and she had to keep herself composed if she was going to be needed in surgery.

Rick was going through another transfusion when Lacey excused herself to the porch.  
>The screen door gave a clatter behind her as she took a seat against the wall to the right of the door.<p>

Her hands clasped in front of her mouth before she rested her forehead against her clenched fingers, willing herself not to cry.

Carl... little Carl Grimes... Rick Jr. as Lacey used to call him... The sight of him in there, bleeding to death, pale white, passed out and just barely breathing... it was just...

"Y'alright?" that was the voice of the rider.  
>"Yeah." Lacey took her hands away from her face, pushing away any tears that may have slipped out without her consent. "Yeah. I'm okay." she turned to look at the girl with a forced smile.<p>

The girl gave her a half smirk before sitting down next to her.  
>"I'm Maggie. I'm the oldest- well, oldest <em>now<em>of my dad's kids."

Lacey nodded and went to introduce herself but shrugged, "Suppose you already know who I am." she chuckled, though her voice gave away her real mood, Lacey was far from a giggling act at the moment.

"You're reactin' almost as bad as the mom is." Maggie noted after a few moments.

Lacey snorted a laugh, "Yeah...I guess I am..." she sighed looking to her boots, "I've known that boy almost since the day he was born. I was 17, Lori and I weren't that close of friends yet. But when she needed a babysitter I was there... He's a tough kid... I think he'll pull through... I mean, I hope he will... God, I hope he makes it through. That boy is the last bit of hope I still have in this world..." Lacey shook her head.

A long pause was shared between the girls before she spoke again, "I'm _partially_concerned about my girls...though I know they're in very good hands, but... I just...I need them with me, ya know? Like, in my arms, to feel them and know they're okay."

"You got kids?" Maggie asked, the shock very noticable in her voice.  
>"Just survivors. They found me. At the right place and time kind of thing. Just a few days ago we found Erin. She's 6, she's still a little shaken up, don't know much about her yet, she's shy. And Honey, she's about...oooh 7 or 8 months maybe, calls me 'Ma'."<p>

"Two girls, huh?" Maggie smiled.  
>"Yep." Lacey nodded, "They're not mine but...I love 'em...I really do. I'd take in all the orphans in Georgia if I could."<p>

The women laughed and chatted for a while until it started to grow dark. A pair of headlights and the distant sound of tires crunching down the road caused both women to sit up.

It was the Cherroke, and Glenn and T-Dog stepped out of it. T-Dog looked worse than he did earlier that morning, and Glenn looked conflicted on whether manners were still an essential in this world, "Do we ring the bell? I mean, the lights are on, looks like people live here."

Lacey stifled a chuckle as she and Maggie remained hidden from sight in the dark patches of the porch where the light from within didn't cast onto them. "We're past this kind of stuff, homie. Having to be considerate." T-Dog said and shuffled heavily up the steps.

"Well, I wouldn't say that, Theodore." Lacey chuckled quietly, the men looked over to the two girls on the porch floor, knees up to their chests as they sat close together.

"You close the gate on your way in?" Maggie asked, smirking smally herself at the somewhat startled expressions Lacey had pulled from the men.

"Uhh, hi... Yes, we did, uhh, close it. Um, latch and everything." Glenn answered as awkwardly as possible. Maggie leaned forward, shedding a little more light on her, while Lacey concealed a smile with her hand as Glenn continued to make the most nervous and squirmy-est of first impressions, "It's, uhh, nice to see you again. We, uh, we met before, briefly."

Maggie stood up just as T-Dog spoke with a groan of pain, "Look, we came to help, is there anything we can do." Lacey from her position on the floor, could see from the look on his face that Maggie was eyeing his wound, "It's not a bite. But I did cut my self pretty bad."

"We'll have Patricia look at it, unless you want to, Lacey?" Maggie wondered as she inched closer to the door.

Lacey waved her hand, "I'm gonna sit out here a little longer."

Maggie led the two men inside, they had come bringing antibiotics and painkillers, from where they'd manage to find those she couldn't help but wonder. Her head fell to her knees, once more finding herself alone, she fought the raging urge to cry, and kept her eyes sharp and searching for the sight of Otis's truck.

Sleeping arrangements were put in order earlier, Lacey was given the couch, while Lori and Rick stayed in the room where Carl lay. And she was starting to grow tired, even though her eyes bugged widely, her brain was ready to shut down. The idea of giving her eyes a rest sparked her interest and she pulled herself up from the floor and opened the front door. But just as the moment Lacey's boots touched the hardword of the floor, Lori rushed to her.

"He's a vet, Lacey. A _vet_, and he's gonna perform surgery on **my boy**. Can't you do it? I-I-I mean, you're a nurse, you worked at hospital, with _people_, actual _people_, for God's sake. Lacey, I-" Lori hissed this as quietly as possible, all her words bursting out as if she'd been waiting all day, and she probably had, for Lacey to come back inside.

"Lori," Lacey spoke calmly, Lori had the tendency to speak so fast it was hard to even pull one word out of what she'd just sputtered, but in the years of knowing her, Lacey had become a master decipher of Lori's frantic speeches.

"I can't do the surgery, Lori. I'm a nurse. I went to school, to be a nurse, not a surgeon. I'll be assisting in the process though. And I'll make sure that Carl isn't treated like an animal. He's going to be just fine. As soon as those supplies come through that door we'll have Carl back." Lacey explained in a steady voice, keeping her hand in Lori's shaking one while leading her back to the room where Carl and Rick were, both with a horrible pale tint to their skin.

"Now, you just wait, and watch over your son. Alright? And try to stay calm." she deposited the woman into a chair that had been pulled in from another room, parked next to Rick's chair where he gave Lacey a grateful, yet sad, smile. He took Lori's hand and she waited for the woman to give her some sort of confirmation.

"Alright, Lori?"

The brunette nodded, slowly.

"Good. I'll be on the couch in the sitting room, if you need me." and Lacey departed. Truth be told she couldn't stand to be in the same room where Carl lay nearly lifeless, it made her want to break down right there on the floor and just cry and cry and cry. But she couldn't do that, the strongest woman she knew, a woman she came to idolise, was looking to her for support, and Rick too, both of them were. So she needed to be there for them, she needed to be the strong, and the calm, and the comfort they were losing with each minute Shane and Otis didn't return through that front door. That shining speck of hope was losing it's sparkle, and with each step Lacey took away from that room, she found herself searching harder and harder through the darkness to find it.

* * *

><p>"Ma." Honey whined for maybe the 30th time since they got back to the RV, she'd refused JoJo and now she was giving Robbie grief as darkness took over the sky and she couldn't understand why her mother wasn't back.<p>

"I know, I know." Robbie groaned, he, as well as everyone else, had developed an awful headache on top of all the stress of searching for Sophia, and just wanted to try and sleep it off. But there was still so much to be done.

"I'll take her." a gruff voice offered, Robert opened his eyes and saw Daryl standing next to the table in the RV where Robbie sat.  
>"Go for it." he grumbled and rested his head in his arms when Honey was taken away.<p>

"Robbie! Come on, help me out here. We're missing 8 people from out group, shit's not going to get done on it's own. And we're not sleeping in there again, it's way too cramped." Ben's voice called from outside, earning another groan from the middle brother of the Black family.

Daryl watched the man drag himself from the ancient booth seat and shuffle across the carpet until he finally disappeared after stumbling down the steps. He bypassed the booth seat and settled down on the floor with Honey in his arms, he rested his head back on the scratchy fabric of the seat and sighed.

The search had taken all day, and all they had found was an old church, killed three walkers in that church, got split up into smaller groups, (which essentially became the worst idea they ever came up with. '_Hadn't anyone of them watched an episode of Scooby Doo in there lives?_' Daryl's thoughts wondered.) Carl was shot, Lori and Lacey were picked up by some girl with horses, Glenn and T-Dog were at the strangers house now and Carol refused to leave the highway, and Sophia was still lost. It was a shit day.  
><em><br>_"Ma." Honey's voice whined again, he snapped his head back up to see the little blonde pouting and big, sad tears were filling up her beautiful, brown, little eyes.

"I know, baby girl. You miss your Mama." he paused and looked around before looking back at the little girl and whispering to her,"... don't tell anyone... but I miss her too." a small smile pulled at his lips when Honey pulled her 'intently listening' face, the girl just had too many expressions.

"But we'll find her soon. For now you'll just hav'ta deal with me." he explained and hugged her closer to him.

The girl didn't seem satisfied, but eventualy accepted his embrace and layed her head against his chest, remembering his heart beat and becoming more comfortable.

Daryl rested his lips on top of Honey's head, breathing in her baby scent, in a way it reminded him of Lacey's scent, and he closed his eyes, almost nodding off until the sounds of Andrea and Amy climbing into the RV pulled him back into consciousness.

The women tried to be as quiet as possible, but he could hear every damn sound they made, it took them over 10 minutes to finally get situated, and Daryl could finally try and get some shut eye again...if only it were that simple.

If it wasn't one woman it was another. Carol wept, whimpered and sniffled in the back of the RV, making Daryl feel irritated, but mostly saddened.

If it were Honey lost, he wouldn't stop searching, night and day, no sleep, no food until he found her... the girl had really grown on him. Hell, he'd probably do the same for Erin, and she'd only been her for a couple days. But the way she looked at him... like he was indestructable... like... he couldn't quite place it, but he knew that girl had no one, but him and Lacey now.

He glanced back into the RV. In the two beds back there, Carol lay curled up crying on the left, and Erin lay sleeping peacefully on the right.

He stood up with a quiet groan, carefully adjusting Honey as he walked up to the front where Andrea and Amy slept in the chairs...at least he thought they were sleeping.

Apparently Carol's cries reached all the way to the front. He found Andrea staring out the window, and Amy staring down at her nails as she picked at them.

"'Ey, uh, Amy." the girls jumped at the sound of his voice, but turned around all the same.

"Think you could watch over her? I'm gonna walk the road, see if I can find the girl." he explained. Amy nodded and opened her arms to the sleeping baby, cradling her comfortably before looking back to Daryl who gave her a nod of thanks and grabbed his crossbow and stepped out the RV, closing the door behind him.

A few moments later the door opened and closed again, "I'm coming too." Andrea called. And the two set out into the dark.

They'd been in the woods for over an hour, idly chatting and wondering about the chances of finding Sophia, to which Daryl shared a story he'd told Lacey a month ago, though where she laughed until she cried and nearly pissed herself, Andrea just snorted a chuckle and apologised.

"So, you really like her, huh?" she spoke up after a few moments.  
>"Who?"<br>"Lacey."  
>"Like her? Yeah, I guess." Daryl gave a shrug, keeping his eyes forward, watching where the flashlight cast its light.<br>"Don't give me that," Andrea smirked smally, "I've seen you two together, and with Honey. It's kinda sweet."

"Sweet? You sure as hell ain't talkin' 'bout me if the word 'sweet' is involved." he shot back quickly and picked up his pace, trying to avoid anymore of the topic Andrea was prodding at.

The blonde woman just smiled and trailed behind the hunter.

Daryl Dixon was different from his brother, but since Lacey came along, he became something better. At least that's what Andrea had observed.

Daryl hadn't noticed any changes in himself, besides the obvious Cupid Arrow to his heart when it came to Honey, but other than that he felt he was the same old Daryl. No woman could change him, he thought. But he would quickly come to realise that it wasn't just _any_ woman that could change a man...

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><p>"Lacey?" Lori's voice called from Carl's room 15 minutes later, and the girl found herself jolting awake. She didn't even know she'd fallen asleep. She stood up, her back gave a crack and she cleared her throat and rubbed her eyes before she walked into the room with Lori, Rick and Hershel.<p>

"I want you here when Hershel is." Lori mummbled when Lacey came to squat beside the woman in her chair. Lacey nodded, though should couldn't help the blush of embarrassment for her friend's slightly rude comment. Sure, Hershel was a vet, but he had much more experience with surgery than Lacey did. She was just a nurse after all.

"If they don't come back soon we're gonna have a decision to make." Hershel explained, taking the blood pressure measuring device off the bed and onto the nightstand.

"And that is?" Rick asked, his voice weak and gravelly, reflecting how he felt and looked.

"Whether to operate on your boy without the respirator." Hershel further explained and sent a glance Lacey's way, she hadn't been there the first time they spoke of this, but judging by the way her eyes widened she knew that wouldn't work in the least.

"You said that wouldn't work." Lori sat up, confused, irritated, but mostly scared about what Hershel was asking of her and Rick.

"I know, it's extremely unlikely. But we can't wait much longer." the old vet said with a sorrowful shake of his head.

Lori was out of her chair and out of the room before Lacey could even think about grabbing her, she let out a sigh and watched as Rick, the ever loyal husband he was, followed after her. The screen door gave a clatter and Lacey stood up from where she was beside Lori's chair.

"Sorry about her. Since I started nursing she's always trusted me when it's come to health stuff." Lacey apologised to Hershel and helped raise the covers over Carl, she took the boys hand into hers for a moment, and immediately missed the feeling of him holding her hand back. She stepped away from the bed and took a seat in Rick's chair.

"It's alright. It's only to be expected, she's known you for years, she's known me for a few hours." Hershel said and stood up, excusing himself to use the bathroom.

Lacey sat in the room by herself, just her and Carl, she couldn't help but look at him now. Just laying there in front of her, a slow and steady rise and fall of his pale white chest.

She felt a chuckle rise in her throat, as she sat forward, her forearms resting on her knees, "Ya know." she paused, looking at the still boy, almost hoping he'd wonder, 'What?' back, like he usually did when Lacey started a sentence off that way.

But no reply came, just the slow breathing, his eyes shut and unmoving beneath his eyelids, she bit her lip as she felt her eyes water, but forced them back, "I remember the day your dad called me when your mom was in the hospital, he said 'My boy's comin'! He's almost here, Lacey! I can't believe it! My boy! My son!'" she laughed slightly, tweeking her voice to mimick Rick's accent, "He was so happy, and your mom was so... _pissed_." she laughed again, "At least that's what I was told, it's expected from a mother in labor... but then they brought you home a couple days later, and they were so happy. Little Carl Grimes was born, and he was just the greatest little thing. And the first time they put you in my arms, I was so scared. I thought I was gonna drop you... but then your little blue eyes looked at me, and it was like... woah." she smiled, "You're gonna be fine, little man. Just fine."

It couldn't have been ten minutes later, Hershel was back and Rick and Lori were seated outside the room, leaving the medical professionals with the boy, when Carl took a quick inhale and started coughing. Lacey sat up, wide eyed, the boy's forehead beaded with sweat and his eyes searched the room.

"Lacey?" he coughed, and she nodded, "That's right."

Lori and Rick rushed into the room, and Lacey moved aside, standing at the foot of the bed.

"Where are we?" Carl, with frantic breaths, asked, looking around, catching sight of the white haired man on the other side of the bed.

"That's Hershel, we're in his house. You had an accident, alright?" Rick explained to his son.

"It hurts," he breathed, looking down to the part of the body where the pain radiated, "a lot."

"Oh, baby, I know." Lori gently moved his hands away from the wounded area, and pushed the hair away from his forehead.

"You should've seen it," he looked straight at his mother now.

"What?" she wondered.

"The deer. It was so pretty, mom. It was close... and I've never been-" Carl's breathed left him quietly.

"What's happening?" Lori looked to Lacey.

"Carl!" Rick touched his son's leg, and the boy immediately began to flail his limbs.

Both parents moved to pin him down, but Lacey stepped foward, as well as Hershel, moving their hands away, "Don't touch him. You might hurt him. It's a seisure."

"You can't stop it?" Lori asked fearfully, watching her son physically shake the bed in his uncontrolled movements.

"He just has to go through it." Hershel explained and they all stepped back and waited for it to pass, Lori sobbing, while Rick held her back.

His movements ceased a few moments later, and Hershel checked the boys eyes, confirming that his brain wasn't getting enough blood, "His pressure is bottomin' and he needs another transfusion."

"Alright, I'm ready." Rick offered his arm out.

"If I take anymore out of you, your body could shut down and you could go into a coma or cardiac arrest." Hershel warned the man.

"And I think one coma is quite enough for the summer, wouldn't you agree?" Lacey added, though she wasn't exactly in her right mind of what the hell they should do.

"You're wastin' time." Rick hissed with a very present underlying plea.

Hershel sent a glance Lacey's way, and she shook her head before going to the nightstand and taking the blood transfusion device and setting Rick up.

Lacey walked out of the room after the transfusion, and found herself in another situation with blood. She was used the to the sight of the red stuff, but at the moment she was getting sick of it. Patricia was sewing up T-Dog's arm.

She shuddered slightly before walking over, Maggie was holding his arm down while Patricia stitched.

"Hey, uh, Lacey. Can you take over?" Maggie wondered, gesturing toward T-Dog's arm, Lacey nodded and replaced her hands where the younger girls hand been.

"So, you're the nurse..." Patricia mummbled, focused on the arm before her.

"Yeah, that's me. And I can assure you, the rumors are true." Lacey responded, that hint of humour still in her.

Patricia glanced at her, giving her a speck of a smile, "Ever see anything like this, or what's going on in that bedroom?"

"Stitches? Yes. Tons of times. Gun shot wounds, they aren't particularly my speciality."

"Well, you better get ready. Surgery ain't a simple stitch."

Lacey took that as some seriously worded, yet sort of kind, advice.

"He's still losing blood faster than we can replace it, and with the swelling in his abdomin, we can't wait any longer. Or he's just going to slip away. Now I need to know right now, if you want me to do this, because I think your boy is out of time." Hershel explained as he pulled the sheet over the boys chest again, Lacey had been pulled back into the room by Lori before the old man had even taken Carl's blood pressure, she'd been very much serious about wanting her in the room whenever Hershel was.

Silence came from the parents.

"You have to make a choice." Hershel said.

"A choice?" Lori asked, as if were the easiest thing to make in the world, but the thought had been racing through her brain for hours now, she was still teetering on the edge of yes or no, but once her husband turned to her, that scared look in his eyes as he spoke to her, "A choice. You have to tell me what it is... You have to tell me what it is..."

Lori knew her answer then, "We do it."

"Alright, I need Lacey and Patricia." Hershel left the room to retrieve Patricia and tell her to get the operating table before giving Lacey a few instructions before the table came in.

"Okay get the corner of that bed, let's get the sheets down. Everybody. Get the IV bag on the sheet. Okay on three. One. Two. Three." with Hershel's quick directions they hefted the boy on the sheet onto the operating table at the foot of the bed.

The tools were uncovered in a tray, and as Patricia took her turn to prepare her hands in hot water in a bowl, Lacey and Hershel put their gloves on.

"Lori, Rick. You may want to step out." Hershel advised the two that stood against the wall.

Lacey nodded and moved to usher them out, but that's when they all heard it, the rumble of an engine, the crunching of dirt beneath tires.

"Lacey, stay with him." Hershel instructed, and the rest filed out of the room.

Hershel returned a minute later, all the supplies in a bag, he told Lacey how to put some of the pieces together while he did the same with others.

"Where's Patricia?" she wondered, but heard a sobbing enter the house a moment later.

"Otis..." Hershel explained with a sad shake of his head.

"Oh god..." Lacey mummbled. But each put their heads back into the matter at hand.

The surgery was quick and without a flaw thanks to the supplies. Lacey pushed away the idea that this was Carl they were operating on from her mind, so those shakes would disappear, and for the most part she was pretty steady. Hershel stitched the vein, and Lacey cleaned up the area around the wound and stitched it up.

Carl was stable now, he wasn't tipping the scales of life or death anymore, he was alive. He was okay, Lacey fought hard not to hug the sleeping boy, instead just taking his hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Lacey's hope had been restored, though it was more than shaken, she had that hope still. They could survive, and if Carl could survive, so could Honey and Erin.

Lacey exited the room where Carl would recover for the next few days, Rick and Lori murmured a few thank yous and a goodnight before she closed the door gently behind her and made her way to the kitchen where Hershel sat with a glass of water.

"This was an act of God, wasn't it?" the man smiled into his glass. "Surely you, Lacey, must be a woman of belief."

Lacey set her jaw, wincing slightly she shook her head, "No...No, I haven't had much belief. Not for a long time now."

"Come now-" Hershel went to preach to her, but she cut him off quickly before he could even begin.

"Mr. Greene, my parents were taken from me when I was 9 years old. They were taken by a car accident. They died instantly, leaving my oldest brother, Ben, to become the leader, he was just 13 years old... You can't land a burden as heavy as that on someone that young. He had to become a man that day for the rest of our sakes. Jo was only 3 when it happened, he doesn't remember a thing like the rest of us do. I'd say he's lucky...but then again, I'd say our parents were luckiest of all... Never having to live to see what the world's become...Not having to run, not trying survive...not witnessing the death and the pain..." she paused, surprised she didn't feel a wetness on her cheeks, she hadn't spoken about this in a while, but each time it hurt her a little, "My faith in God is... well, it's not all there. I've never been sure in what to believe, so instead of a higher power I turn my faith onto people...my brothers... my girls... my friends... they're all I really have now."

"Your girls...what about them? God guided them to you, knowing you would care for them." Hershel offered as he put his glass into the sink and hobbled back to the table.

"Well, I couldn't think of a worse person to send them to... I'm 27, the only baby I've ever been around is Carl, I grew up and live with 3 brothers, I only know how to take care of a boy, and...and even though I feel like I need to take care of them... I know that someone else could take care of them better than I do... but if they were taken from me... I'd run and search to the ends of the Earth to find them just to have them back in my arms again..." Lacey mummbled, her eyes barely focused on the wood table in front of her.

"Well for a woman who isn't much of a holy believer you sure act like an angel." he commented quietly and nodded to her.

Lacey scoffed a laugh, twice she had been called an angel in less than a week, "If that's what you'd like to think, Mr. Greene."

Hershel left the kitchen not long after that, the lights were turned off and Lacey found herself bundled up in a thin blanket on the sitting room couch again.

Though the cushions were comfortable and the idea of having a house around her again seemed relaxing she just couldn't get to sleep. Her mind raced with thoughts, all kinds of thoughts, current thoughts, thoughts she hadn't thought of since before _this_ started, thoughts of the future.  
>Her brain just wouldn't shut off, or even slow down. She stared up at the ceiling for most the night, eyes tired, wide and unstaring.<p>

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing!<strong>


	31. 15 point 5

She wasn't from around here, neither of them were. They weren't born and raised here, at least. The dark haired, tall and skinny one, Lori, Rick's wife, she's been here longer, I could tell, when she talks sometimes a southern accented word slips through. It was like something she didn't notice, something she developed over time due to constantly being around that kind of drawl.

But the other one, the blonde, short one. This was way more than she was used to. The moment she saw the horse, I knew. There was that distrust in her eyes, something that said that she trusted a machine way more than an animal double her height and 10 times her weight. She was a city girl, Lacey Black, in the way she walked and how she talked, I could tell, I knew her kind. I had been like her once... some what... okay, maybe just like a little bit. Before I moved back in with my dad, my sister and I lived with my mom in the city, but it wasn't anything like where Lacey Black was from.

She seemed like the Northern type. DC or Philadelphia, maybe?

And she was a nurse. Which seemed typical. The short, cute type usually went for medical jobs. And I had assumed her for a receptionist or something, but the way Rick explained it, she had seem some '_action_'. I just hope it was the type of action that could save that little boys life.

Lacey... she sorta looked like a Lacey, kind of girly, but at the same time, sort of intimidating. I'm 4 inches taller than her and I knew there's some sort of reason to be careful around her, like what you said, or something might set her off like a firecracker. I saw fading bruises on her face and her knuckles, another sign that she probably took care of herself well... or very badly. She didn't seem like the kind of girl to get slapped around, and she probably wasn't, I'm just letting my assumptions get the best of me.

But... I can't help but feel like I need to talk to her, or hang around her. She has an air about her that feels friendly, and I'm drawn to it. I can't help it. I've been holed up in this house with my dad and Beth, Jimmy, Patricia and Otis, something new and unfamiliar brings a kind of peace to me. And she reminds me of my older sister, Lacey. Kind of strange that they seem so similar when I talk to her. Sarcastic and funny, caring and thoughful, smart and pretty. Though there's no doubt that physically they were complete opposites. But still, it's kind of like I have my sister back... like she was never taken from me- from us.

Sometimes I don't even know it, but I start recalling memories and forget that she doesn't share that memory with me like my Lacey did.

I like Lacey Black, from what I got to discussing with her on the porch she's a good woman.

And I really hope I haven't creeped her out with all the attention I've been giving her. It's just... she seems so familiar. And I don't want to lose it again, the comfort of my older sister...

-_M.G._


	32. 16

**A/N: It's been a while since there's been some one on one time between Lacey and Daryl, so there's that, it's a little and a lot cheesy, but I enjoy it **_**dammit**_**. And um, let's see, there's a little secret revealed, something small, something I also enjoyed adding to the story, adds a little more character a certain character, kind of explains the closeness between two people (besides the obvious). But anyway, I'll be putting up the next chapter shortly after this, I just need to edit it. Classes start tomorrow, so updates might get a little slow, but hopefully not painfully slow.**

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><p><em>99 Problems and a Bitch Ain't One<em>

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><p>She woke with a jump, feeling as if she had only just fallen asleep and caught maybe 10 minutes. Her body, as well as her eyes, were tired, and the dark circles under them let it be known to all. Her back cracked and an overall ache came over her.<p>

Though she didn't find anyone for over an hour after she woke up, she found the silence and solitude fitting to let her brain go into over drive again. With all those scrambled thoughts from the night before only one stuck out and pulsated in her head.

A glass of water sat in front of her. Her elbows rested on the table and her face fell into her hands, she fought the realisation moment back as hard as she could, trying her hardest not to cry.

She hadn't had a full on cry in a long time. There were the tears of happiness she had shed throughtout the past month, but she needed a good cry, she needed to let all those emotions out through helpless tears and sobs. She hadn't had one of those cries since _it_ started.

Always too busy for tears, she was always too busy worrying about her brothers or the baby, and now Erin. Busy worrying about food, water, warmth, safety. Or she'd been too distracted or hounded by others to find a moment alone to cry. But just as she was thinking she could sneak off by that barn and let it all out she heard it.

The sound of Merle's motorcycle echoed loudly through the country air outside, Lacey's head snapped up from her hands at the sound, her chair scraped loudly against the floor as she followed the Greene family, Lori and Rick outside to see the RV, an SUV and the bike all parked out in the yard. Lacey smiled widely as she ran at Daryl first, her arms hugging him tightly, and he held her just as tightly.

"The girls? They're alright?" she wondered in a quiet, rushed voice.  
>Daryl nodded, "In the RV."<p>

She sighed a relieved laugh before kissing him quickly and sprinting toward the open RV door. Erin followed by JoJo carrying Honey stepped out just as she ran at them.  
>She practically whimpered as she scooped up Erin into one arm as the other hugged Jo and she kissed Honey's forehead.<p>

Camp was set up in the yard a few yards away from the house. Lacey, though hating the idea of having to leave the comfort of the Greene home, didn't want to overstay her welcome and set up her tent near where the Grimes' would eventually set up.

Lacey sat on the ground, crisscross legged as she rubbed Rocket's belly with one hand and played with Blondie's ear with the other. Blondie had nearly crawled into her lap the moment she sat down, "_Someone_ missed me." she laughed.

Honey was down for a nap in the RV, Erin had fallen asleep shortly after, taking a place near the baby.

"Yeah, like you wouldn't believe." Daryl confirmed, glancing at the half blind dog, "When you didn't come back and she was waitin' in the RV she freaked. I ain't ever seen a dog version of a panic attack, but I'm pretty sure that's what happened to little Blondie."

"Aww." Lacey mummbled and looked down to the pitiful dog in her lap, "So how was Honey?"  
>"Fine. Hates your brothers, loves me." he admitted smuggly.<br>Lacey hummed in amusement, "Perhaps we'll have to change her name from Honey Black to Honey Dixon."

Daryl seemed to think about it for a while before shaking his head, "I dunno. They both sound sorta badass, but I dunno which is better."

Lacey laughed, glad to have everyone, especially Daryl, back to distract her and pull her out of her funk.

"Lacey." Dale walked up to the the four, his eyes glancing around at those who surrounded her before setting his gaze on her, "Could I talk to you about something?"

Lacey sent a glance Daryl's way before standing up, the dogs immediately bolting up when she shifted, "Sure, Dale, what about?"

Dale guided her a fair distance away from where she had been before he spoke, glancing at the RV before he did, "It's about Erin."

"What is it? Did something happen at the highway?" Lacey's heart began to pound quickly, and she thought back to the last hour, there hadn't been a scratch on her, or a bite, she looked as fine as she did the last time she saw her, maybe a little more well rested, but she looked absoultely fine! What could've happened?

"No, no. It's nothing bad." Dale put his hand on her shoulder to calm her, resisting a chuckle when she let out a heavy sigh of relief and wiped away sweat from her brow with a dramatic whip of her wrist.

"She just got to talking to me. She said I reminded her of her grandfather, and I suppose that made her comfortable enough to tell me about her parents, and what happened to her before she came into our care."

Lacey's eyes widened, she really hadn't expected Erin to speak, but she did, to Dale no less. Sure, Dale Horvath was definitely one of the nicest people in the camp, but it was still surprising, "Really? So what did she say?"

"Well, she told me her mother was white and her father was African American. She got her blue eyes from her mom and her curly hair from her dad." Dale chuckled slightly as he recalled how Erin had told him about her appearance, Lacey grinned, her eyes flickering toward the RV, "Her mother worked at the CDC and they lived in an apartment in the city, and that's where her parents... you know, so she decided to go back to CDC to find help, that's when the place blew up and when Blue found her and brought her to you."

"Well... that's, uhh, fortunate and unfortunate. Did she say anything about me?"

Dale chuckled slightly, laying a hand on the girls shoulder again, "Rest assured, Lacey, you are the only woman, well, only _person_, that girl trusts the very most."

Lacey looked at the older man, for a moment Dale disappeared and she saw her father, in an image she imagined he'd look if he were still alive, giving her parenting advice and encouraging her that she was doing just fine.

She cleared her throat awkwardly and nodded to the man, "Thanks, Da-le." she made her escape quickly, hoping Dale wouldn't notice her slip up, she having almost called him 'Dad' right to his face. Face enflaming embarrassment was apparently still possible in a post apocalyptic world.

She took her seat by the dogs and Daryl again, explaining the redness in her cheeks as effects of summer heat.

"Seen Andrea eye ballin' your brother." he said, out of the blue, his eyes set forward, Lacey looked up at him, the glare of the sun making her squint, "Which one?"

"Rob. Think she's hot for him." Daryl raised his brow as he smirked and looked down to her, "Do I get to look forward to some Black sister smack down? They told me stories, ya know, '_Tasmanian devil_'"

She rolled her eyes, "I don't have to worry about Andrea. She's not really Robbie's type."  
>"He don't like blondes, or he don't like bitches?" Daryl wondered aloud, causing Lacey to chuckle.<p>

"No, I mean. He isn't really... _interested_." she tried to explain it without saying it.  
>But Daryl just shook his head in confusion, "Whada'ya mean?"<p>

Lacey sighed and waved her hand at him to come closer, "Robbie's batting for the other team." she whispered when he sat down next to her.

He looked at her, that realisation dawning on his face in a way that made her smirk, he looked into the camp, searching for the one they were talking about, "Wait...you mean-?"

"He's gay."  
>Daryl eyes laid on Robert, "That guy? Your brother, the athlete? He's a-"<br>"Keep the derogatory terms to yourself, please."  
>"He don't look like it though."<p>

"When he was 18 he came out to me, then a year later came out to Jo and Ben. He became '_the athlete_' for a reason..." she paused and looked over to her brother, it seemed like just a few years ago he came into her room, nervous and a little shaky, the next 45 minutes he'd spill his secrets to her, "There was this guy, he went out for each team sport in school. So Robbie did too. They went around for a while... but, it didn't work out. There isn't really much selection for him in Georgia." a sad sort of smile came to her face before she looked at her Daryl and pointed at finger in his face, "He's no different now that you know this, and obviously, none of you could tell from looking at him or talking to him, so, just keep it to yourself." her finger fell and she looked down to the dogs beside her, "Hopefully Andrea will just give up instead of embarrassing herself... _though_... I'd kind of like to see how far she'd go before he shuts her down." a maniacal chuckle escaped from her. Daryl shook his head at her strangeness.

"Huh... weird. Think he's got a crush on anyone?"  
>Lacey let out a very sarcastic 'HA!' before answering, "No, absolutely not. No one in this camp, especially you, is even close to his type."<p>

"I _knew_that. Shit." he snapped back, "It was like the second week you showed up he asked me what my intentions were and accused me of shit before he told me I was alright."

Lacey sat up a little straighter, "What? **What**! What did he say! Tell me word for word!"  
>"He said..." Daryl paused to remember the correct words, finding himself intrigued by her sudden interest in her brothers word choice.<p>

"He said 'you strike me as the type of hick who'd troll around for ass in his pick up around malls and colleges with the windows rolled down with _Bad Medicine_blasted', and I said, 'Nah, that's my brother', and he looked at me for a second or two before he nodded and said, 'Well alright then. Carry on', and he walked off." Daryl explained to the best of his memory.

Lacey was rolling on the ground a moment later, "He always comes up witht he weirdest shit to say to guys I hang around. Oh, God." she spoke through gasps, "Love that guy." she laughed.

A short while after that everyone was gathered around a large pile of stones, Hershel had a bible in his hands and Patricia had a dark shawl wrapped around her shoulders. It was a funeral for Otis.

Lacey leaned her head against Daryl's shoulder as she witnessed each of Hershel's people set a stone onto of the pile for their lost friend, her eyes looked over to Patricia who's tears spilled constant, but not a sound came out of her.

Her feet shifted and she leaned in a little closer, and didn't quite notice how close she was until Daryl's hand rested on her arm in a reassuring manner. She took all the affection she could get. Funerals stirred up old memories, and old memories stirred up old emotions, and she really wanted to keep it together.

A few tears escaped her eyes after Shane's words about Otis' last moments, and after that it was over. Everyone went their seperate ways and Lacey swiped at the wet streams on her face.

"Alright?" Daryl asked, and she looked up, still trying to push away any sign of wetness from her cheeks as she nodded, "Yeah. Fine."

He searched her face for a moment, and either he'd come to know her well enough to read her easily or he just acted out of expectation, but with his arm still around her, he pulled her into his chest for a brief moment before giving her a hint of grin and walking off toward the camp.

She'd classify that as an initiated hug in Dixon terms, and smiled smally at the gesture. Daryl wasn't good with emotions, or talking about feelings, just like any other man, but it seemed like he was slowly opening up. If not to the group, then just to her.

Her head snapped toward the camp where a sharp whistle emitted, Shane, now dressed in his own clothes rather than Otis' baggy overalls, waved her over. She fought from rolling her eyes, both at the way he'd called her and the way Daryl glared daggers at the former officer for doing so. She gave the pile of stones one last glance and let her finger tips graze the top of one, murmuring an apology and an expression of gratitude before walking toward the Cherroke where a map lay on the hood.

"How long's this girl been lost?" Hershel asked, leaning heavily on his cane.

"This'll be day three." Rick said, and his tone expressed the guilt and irritation in that number. They should've found her 2 days ago. Hell, they should've never lost her, but complications arose, and Sophia did what she believed was right, but in that, she was now horribly lost.

"County survey map, shows terrain and elevations." Maggie explained, placing a couple of rocks on the corners to keep the map down.

"This is perfect. We can finally get this thing organized. We'll grid the whole area. Start searchin' in teams." Rick said, addressing Shane, Daryl and Lacey; two self proclaimed leaders, and two appointed.

"Not you. Not today." Hershel spoke up with a shake of his head and explained further, knowing the man would give protest, "You gave 3 units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passin' out." Hershel turned from Rick to Shane, "And your ankle. Push it now, you'll be layed up a month, no good to anybody."

"Guess it's jus' me. I'mma head back to the creek, work my way from there." Daryl spoke, Lacey didn't hear anything after that, her jaw fell slack as she stared at him.

"Excuse me? I'm just as able bodied as you are." she interrupted looking at Daryl before she exchanged glances with Shane and Rick.

"No, Lacey, I think you should stay here with the kids, where it's safe-"

"Woah, woah." she put her hand up and cut Shane off, "When did I become Mama Bear?"  
>"Since these kids keep flocking to you." a voice not too far off called over.<br>Lacey winced, "Shut up, Ben." she then looked to Rick, "I never liked this going alone bullshit and I sure as hell know you don't either. Like you said Rick, I say we stick to the buddy system."

After a few moments, Rick glancing around to the others around the map he nodded, "I think we'd feel better if you had someone with you, Daryl. Lacey goes with you, you two can cover twice as much ground and cover each other's backs."

Lacey nodded her thanks to Rick and then looked to Daryl, "I'll pack some stuff." she grinned smuggly, heading toward the RV. He rolled his eyes but couldn't contain the smirk that grew on his face.

She heard Shane mummbled an incoherent comment about 'covering backs' before the conversation turned into making some use of Shane and gun training, after that she fell completely out of ear shot.

"Daryl and I are going to look for Sophia. You guys stay here, it's already been discussed." Lacey stated as she found her brothers hovering around in the shade beside the RV, "Help set up camp, help Shane with whatever he's going to do, do some chores, make friends with the natives, and watch over my girls. Got it?"

Ben shook his head, looking toward the ground, she took that as his agreeance, Robert gave a nod and JoJo a mock salute.

"Cool." she chuckled, then stepped inside the RV where Amy was with Erin and Honey.

"I'm heading out soon, be back before dark. Promise." Lacey smiled to the three girls as she grabbed her bag, it was still filled with her essentials, so she slung it over her shoulder and leaned down to kiss Honey, doing the same to Erin a second later.

"Where're you going?" Erin wondered, her eyes, still filled with fear since the day she entered this group, stared up at Lacey.

"Daryl and I are going to search for Sophia. We have a map now so we're going to look places we might've missed. Okay?" she brushed some hair behind the girls ear with a smile.

She nodded, "Be careful." she said. Lacey's heart seized for a moment, but she just nodded, "I will."

She exited the RV and stepped into the camping area, JoJo was helping Glenn and Carol set up the tents, and Maggie had just walked away from them.

"Getting acquainted with the farmer's daughter, Glenn?" Lacey nudged him with a wink. He just chuckled with embarrassment "We're going into town, to the pharmacy."

Lacey nodded, then jumped, "Oh! You think you could find a couple of toothbrushes? For the girls?"

"Yeah. I'll see what I can find." he nodded.

"Thanks." Lacey patted his shoulder.

"C'mon, boy." Daryl called for Blue, the massive dog sprinted right over to him, panting slightly, looking through his heavy fringe up at man. He petted the shaggy dog and waited for Lacey, she was filling up water bottles and packing a water bowl for the dogs.

"Damn woman." he grumbled, "You like her?" he looked to the dog, Blue just stared up at him, tongue hanging from his mouth as he panted, "Yeah...me too." he smirked as Lacey left the house, the screen door slamming shut behind her.

"Let's go." she smiled, Blondie on her heels.

"Why you so worried about me anyway?" Daryl mummbled once they were deep within the woods again, the sounds of creatures surrounding them with each careful step they took.  
>"'Cause. I care about you. You know that." Lacey smirked, eyeing the dogs in front of them before glancing at him.<p>

"Why this time? I know that high and mighty woman thing was an act." he gave her a knowing look that she knew she wouldn't be able to lie her way around.  
>She sighed in defeat, "I'm just...I don't know. I don't want you to be a loner. I mean, I know we're good, uhh...<em>friends<em>, and everything, but I've been trying to pull you into my group. With me and my brothers."

"You and your brothers? They paired off weeks ago. Jo's with Amy, Robert's been hangin' around with Dale and T-Dog, Ben's in the asshole club with Shane, and you got your girls. I don't need to be in any group, I ain't a loner... what the hell do you take me for, some emotional pansy? Jesus, Lace, I thought we got past this."

Lacey chuckled, "Sorry. I just... I... like you. And I want you to know that, umm and... uhh, having you around makes me feel..." she trailed off and coughed awkwardly, her stumbling words having caught Daryl's attention, he looked over at her, brow raised high on his forehead.

"I don't know." she blushed and walked a little faster, in an effort to get away from her embarrasment.  
>"You <em>like<em> me?" he questioned in a manner that was 90 percent confused and 10 percent amused.  
>"Just forget it, nevermind." she shook her head.<p>

"No, no. You said you _liked_ me. And having me around makes you feel like **what**?" Daryl caught up with her with a few steps.

"Nothing, forget it, please." she tried to use her hair to shield herself from him, this was far too much embarrassment for the day, and it was only 1 p.m. But he just stepped in front of her, causing her to stop and pushed her hair away from her face.

"Tell me, Lacey."

"It's nothing."

"**Lacey**."

"You make me feel like _he_did. Like-...like I'm the only girl in the world, like when we're together it's like being in a couple again, like-" she froze for a moment, realizing exactly what words had fallen from her mouth, "But I mean. It's different with you. I don't know, it feels... better. He was never around, but you...you're always around... keeping me safe..."

There was a long moment of silence where Lacey couldn't bear to make eye contact after that pitiful speech, but she could feel Daryl's stare all over her. Her eyes were on the ground when she saw his boots step into her line of sight.

His fingers touched under her chin, pulling her gaze up to meet his, but she still fought to look away.

"Lacey." he spoke her name, the way he said it, almost softly, she couldn't help but look up, "I ain't ever felt like this 'bout a girl before..."

A small smile pulled at her lips as she deciphered his words. He closed the gap between them with a kiss, a kiss that was sweet and simple, easing away all the tension from the previous moment.

He pulled away, looking into her eyes once more before turning around and starting forward, following what he could still see of Blue and Blondie.

"Don't expect to be callin' me your boyfriend or anythin'." he called over his shoulder.  
>Lacey giggled before catching up with him.<p>

It was quiet for a time until Daryl spoke up again, bringing up what she had hoped he'd be quiet about.

"So why me?"

Lacey sighed, figuring she may as well answer, since there was no way out of it anyway,"Why you? Hmm, well let's see." she put her hand out and starting to tick off her fingers as she listed off the many reasons she'd _choosen_him, "Three of the other men in this camp are my brothers, one is married, one is an asshole, one doesn't even seem to be remotely interested in anything but his survival, and the other is just as old as my dad would've been." she summed up, he nodded with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, and you've got a _**great**_..." she paused in fake thought and Daryl smirked, his mind immediately going to the gutter, just like hers was setting it up as, but she continued, "Wardrobe."

He glared, "Now you're just fuckin' with me."

"No. No, that was about a week ago." she laughed.

He glanced at her, not sure if he expected that sort of answer from her or if it caught him off guard, "Dirty girl."

"Oh, like you wouldn't even believe." she chuckled and walked on.

After mindless chatter they came to the end of the forest, coming out to the edge they spotted Blue and Blondie headed toward what appeared to be an abandoned house. If it truly was abandoned was yet to be known.  
>"Stay." Lacey put her hand out to the dogs as she whispered, pulling out her knife as she stood behind Daryl, waiting for him to make the entry.<p>

He kicked the door open, it was just barely hanging onto its hinges.  
>He checked the first room before nodding for Lacey to follow. She made contact with his eyes and pointed to the stairs. He nodded and started through the lower level, the floor creaking under his every step.<p>

Lacey moved on quiet feet, trying to bypass every squeak in the floorboards she could until she finally reached the second floor.

She searched every room, but no one was there. It was completely ransacked and abandoned, save for a few pieces of clothing that were salvagable. From the evidence, she figured a family of three had lived there, mother, father and teenaged son. They must've just gathered what they could in their arms and left.

"Sophia!" Daryl shouted, Lacey just barely jumped out of her skin when he did that. She glared at the window before stuffing the clothes into her bag and exiting the house. Daryl shouted Sophia's name once more before Lacey decided to give it a try, figuring if she did hear Daryl, she'd hear her as well. And Sophia knew Lacey better than Daryl, though at the moment she thought Sophia would probably run to anyone who called her name, even her own father (if he were alive). Hell, even Merle...

Merle. Lacey hadn't thought about Merle in a while... she'd admit it, she missed the guy, and she was worried sick about him, but she knew Daryl had to be feeling it 10 times worse than she was. His own brother. Gone on his own, one handed, no weapons, just a van.

She looked around, no Sophia in sight, she called for the dogs and started for Daryl who was sat on one knee before a bush with white flowers in it.

"Think we could look a little more for an hour or so, then head back?" she offered as she drew closer.

"Yeah," he agreed as he stood up and plucked a flower from the bush, "could ya hold that?" he offered the flower to her, and she looked at it then up to him. It was strange to see Daryl Dixon holding a flower, even stranger was it that he was asking her to hold on to it.

"Sure," she nodded and took it, and put it into her hair, resting the stem behind her ear, for safe keeping, "who's it for?" Lacey wondered carefully as she and the dogs started following Daryl, moving away from the abandoned house and into the woodsy area beyond it.

"Carol." he mummbled, and Lacey nodded, knowing full well that this tough as nails man was more than embarrassed about his sweet gesture, so she kept quiet about it, sparing him further embarrassment.

"So, umm," she started awkwardly, "do you... do you think Merle's okay?" her stomach twisted in slight anxiety, hoping she wasn't treading on a subject she shouldn't. They hadn't spoken about Merle since the night after he disappeared with the van.

An odd quiet came over Daryl before he answered, as if pondering if he really did think his brother was still out there, if he was okay, or if he was dead, or a walker...

"Yeah..." he grumbled, "Yeah, I think he's fine."

"Where do you think he'd go? In a time like this, in his condition?" Lacey asked, searching for answers herself, but she didn't know the man well enough to even begin to offer an answer.

Daryl shrugged, "Dunno... somewhere though. He's just out there survivin'. Nothin' can kill Merle, but Merle."

Lacey smiled smally, "I figured as much."

For the rest of the time she stayed quiet, unless he asked her something or gave her direction. They searched for another hour and half before they started their trek back to the farmhouse. Without Sophia and with the smallest of leads.

Stepping back onto Hershel's land Lacey let out a disappointed sigh, she mummbled a 'Go on' and the dogs started running toward the camp. A little ways away from the camp and house they could see a figure, and it was starting their way, once in the light they saw it was Maggie and she waved to them.

Lacey gave a wave back, and saw the girl was motioning 'come over here' to her. She nodded before looking to Daryl with a shrug and taking her bag's strap from across her shoulder.  
>"<em>Someone's<em> popular." he grunted.

"Guess so... Never thought I'd ever be associated with that word." she sighed and started Maggie's way.

"'Ey, wait a minute." his hand grabbed around her wrist and pulled her back toward him. His lips were on hers for just barely a moment before he pulled away with that flower in hand. She tried her hardest to smother the giant smile that threatened to take over her face, knowing that flower was for Carol, and that he intended to give it to her, and even the way he walked away with it dangling from his grasp, she almost squeaked with glee. He shot a glance over his shoulder at her and continued on toward the camp, while Lacey, managing to pull her gaze away from his retreating form, found her way toward Maggie.

"Got your toothbrushes," Maggie smirked and handed two slightly marred packaged pink toothbrushes to the blonde.

"Sweet," Lacey grinned and looked over the objects before stuffing them into her bag, "no problems at the pharamacy then?"

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Umm," Maggie glanced down at her boots, "how well do you know Glenn?"

Lacey walked away from one of the strangest conversations she'd had in quite some time, she dumped her bag off in her tent before heading toward the little fire pit that had been created in the center of all the tents and RV.

"Hey there, any clues to where she might be?" Jo wondered as Lacey fell heavily into a lawn chair Erin had been seated in and held the girl securely in her lap.

She groaned before answering, "Not really. Found a house though, abandoned. Daryl thinks she might've holed up there in the pantry, but I kind of doubt it. Found some clothes, and got a little sun burned. Tomorrow though, I've got a good feeling about tomorrow."

"We found a walker, well, technically a swimmer, in one of the wells. Got a rope around him but he split in half. Half outside still squirming away with his guts everywhere, half back into the well. Tainted for sure." JoJo responded as casually as possible.

Lacey pulled a disgusted face, "_Uugh!_ Gross." It was remarkable to her how her little brother could convey information in a tone the total opposite of what the situation must have been like.

She glanced around, everyone appeared to be in her sights, save for those who were in the Greene pack and Lori and Rick who were watching over Carl.

"Anybody see where Daryl went?" she asked, hoping she sounded nothing but curious.

"He went in the RV, he asked for Robert's beer bottle first then went in." Erin piped up, Lacey almost jumped, at the sound of a complete sentence coming from Erin and at the realisation that he was probably in there giving his flower to Carol. She didn't want to embarrass him, so the second best thing she could do was eavesdrop.

"If you'll just excuse me for a moment." she took Erin from her lap and put the girl where she had been sitting before slunking off toward the RV. Placing precise steps and keeping any shadow or view of her extremities away from the windows, she, without much effort, placed herself against the paneling of the back end and strained her ears to listen.

"-losing their little ones along the way. Exposure and disease and starvation; a lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they sent a prayer, asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits. Give them strength, and hope. The next day, this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell... I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother, but I believe this one bloomed for your little girl."

Lacey clamped a hand to her mouth to keep any sound from escaping her. She knew Daryl wasn't the hard ass he acted like through and through. He truly was a nice guy, one just had to get to know him, like she did. But this, she had no idea _this_ was something Daryl was capable of. It was just... so... _sweet_.

She removed her hand from her face and once again tried to keep a giant grin at bay when she heard his heavy footsteps head for the door.

Daryl left the RV, feeling slightly flushed in the face as he approached his and Lacey's tent.  
>"That was sweet." Lacey's voice startled him, making him tense up instead of jump.<p>

"What?" he turned around, the redness taking full effect, and there was no way he could blame it on the sun.

"What you said in there to Carol. It was really sweet." Lacey pushed off of the RV's side and stepped over to him, her fingers lacing with his, "I always knew you were a sweetheart, deep down." It hadn't been her primary idea to tease him, but it appeared to be coming out that way, but before she could backtrack he was already puffing out his chest and giving her that 'proud' look.

"You go sayin' that around here, I'm gonna hav'ta punish you, ya know?"

Lacey withheld a snort, just barely, before replying in a mocking manner, "_Punishment_? From the big ol' sweetheart. Ooh, I bet it will be bruising hugs and smothering kisses." she couldn't contain her giggling as his glare became more and more fierce with each word she spoke.  
>"I'm warnin' you, girl."<p>

"_Ooh_, I'm _scared_. Don't suffocate me with your sweetness! I just couldn't bear it! I'll surely die from the terror!" she put her hands up to her face in fake fear, but a smile still pulled at her lips.  
>"That's it, woman. You're gettin' your ass smacked."<p>

Lacey laughed as she ran away, toward their tent, keeping the flaps closed with her hands, only for Daryl to easily push them away, that glare still in his eye as he stepped dangerously toward her.  
>"I always knew it would end this way!" Lacey cried dramatically as she fell onto the sleeping bags on the tent floor. Daryl followed her down, hovering above her with his hands planted on either side of her head.<p>

She smiled up at him, and he looked at her, he couldn't be mad her, not when she was smiling at him like that. He really hated the girl, but if he was honest... he just hated how much she was growing on him. More and more each day, and he couldn't stop it.

He leaned down and caught her lips in a gentle kiss, but it grew from something gentle to something rougher in just a few short moments, and Lacey rolled her way on top. Her fingers glided through his hair as she found herself wondering how he had become such a pro kisser, but then she remembered, with a sarcastic and arrogant thought, that is was she that had taught him to relax and just _do_.

A heavy slap sounded throughout the tent and Lacey pulled away, "Ow." she mummbled and reached a hand to rub her backside.  
>"Told ya you'd get a smack." he grinned up from beneath her.<p>

Her face twisted into that of a glare and a grin that matched his, "Always one step ahead, aren't you?"  
>"With you, it's too easy." he admitted smuggly.<p>

She let out a fake gasp and scoffed, "Whatever. You _seducer_." and she went to move off of him, but he grabbed her hips, and kept her above him, "Do ya think what I said to Carol was stupid?"

Lacey looked down at him, the look on his face, the image of a young, blonde boy who'd faced too much rejection, defeat, and disappoint looked back at her, "No." she shook head and rested her hand against the side of his face, her thumb brushed against his cheekbone, "No, not at all. I thought it was very sweet of you. Seriously. Carol's been given sympathy in all different kinds of words, but coming from _you_... it was different. Your story. I think it gave her a little more hope." she hoped to push away any doubt he had in his mind. What he did took a lot, coming from him, that is, and she didn't want him thinking that one of the greatest gestures he'd ever given wasn't worth it.

He hummed and nodded before leaning his head up to kiss her once, twice, then let go of her hips. She stood up and moved toward the flaps, "And I won't tell anybody how adorable you are with words. I _promise_." she rolled her eyes and left the tent.

Dinner was being cleaned up and people were turning in for the night, Lacey carried a sleeping Honey to the tent, followed by Daryl who carried an exhausted Erin in his arms. They lay the girls on the cot, Lacey covering them up, and tucking them in snuggly before slipping into sleep bags on the floor.

"You're good with 'em. If I didn't know any better I'd think you really were their mama."

Lacey smiled at Daryl's comment before responding, "I feel like their mom...they don't have their real mothers anymore...'spose I'm just as good, well- better than nothing." she laid down beside Daryl, who slung an arm over her waist, pulling her closer to him. He'd definitely come a long way from pushing things away from him, and for that reason, she'd never complain about how his body honestly felt like a furnace and overheated the hell out of her, instead she'd just grin to herself and find joy in the fact that he was breaking down barriers with her.

"Think you'll ever want one of your own?"  
>The question caught Lacey off guard, and she was glad her back was to him, so he wouldn't see her eyes widen in surprise. The truth and untold stories spoke loudly in her head, but she just answered simply, ignoring the voices, "Yeah...I suppose...one day. Maybe after all of this is over."<p>

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>


	33. 16 point 5

Lacey has always been... nice. Though if she's pissed off she will attack like some kind of wild animal (Tasmanian devil, hah, ha!) but still, since she was a kid, when we were growing up, she's always been so kind to everyone and anyone.

Her boyfriends have usually been the shy nerdy type, once or twice she dated a total douche bag, and Keenan was... well, he was _nice_. But I've seen the way she acts around her boyfriends, I've been there for each 'Yay! I've got a boyfriend!' and each 'We split up, no biggie', but I've been observing.

Something I've done since I was probably one year old and met my little sister the day she came home with mom and dad. And I've come to know her habits, her flaws and her perfections, and how to read the smallest of expresssions.

Since _this_ began she's gone into like some sort of warrior mode, but once Honey got involved, it escalated, and we found the group, a little more, and then Erin... I'm kind of scared she's close to snapping.

'Cause, ya know, she has these little episodes, and she thinks no one knows about them, but I do. But in these episodes, she cries, from 20 to 40 minutes. And it drains all the pent up emotions she's accumulated over the past couple of months or so. I don't know what goes through her head when she has those massive cries, but I do know that it levels her out. And she isn't balancing on the line of love and hate, where she'll rip your head off and then sob and beg for forgiveness, she doesn't do that. She can think clearly, and she can perform at her best. But, her last cry was 3 months ago, and with all the stress of surviving in this fucked up world, I know she needs one, and I know that she hasn't had one.

She's going to snap, and she's afraid about it, because her image will be skewed and she won't appear as this unshakable force that protects her people. I'll be the first to admit that since this disaster started, things have gone back to how they were centuries ago. Men are the leaders, they're strong, they're smart and they know what they're doing, leaving women to be the dumb, scared and helpless. But Lacey isn't like that, she's fought hard not to be that way, and through that she's managed to become the one female the leaders of our group consult during decisions.

Lacey is a warrior, yes, she tough, yes, but she isn't and hasn't always been that way.

She's just as breakable as everyone else, and I think that the next horrible thing (In fact, I'm surprised she made it through Carl's gun shot wound and surgery, she loves that kid just as much as she loves us and her own kids) that happens will break her down into a puddle on the ground, and I'm afraid she won't be able to find her solidity again.

-_R.B._


	34. 17

**A/N: A little shorter than the last chapter, it's a little goofy and gooey, with a pinch of badass, but 17.5 should prove to be intriguing, I hope. It'll be '**_**finally**_** some words from... '. Or maybe not at all, but I would love some reviews :D if it wouldn't be too much trouble.**

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><p><em>One Missed Call  Warning / Weapon Of Choice_

* * *

><p>Lacey woke up to Erin trying to sneak out of the tent without waking her, and for a moment she almost wanted to pretend to sleep out of Erin's courtesy, but she figured it was best to get up right then. Daryl and Honey had already woken before her, so she'd already gotten a late start. She needed to get some breakfast and get started in the search.<p>

"Don't worry about being quiet, I'm awake." she yawned, and Erin turned, "Sorry."

"No, no. Don't worry, I need to get up anyway. Gotta find Sophia, I got a good feeling, I think today we'll find her." Lacey smiled to the girl as she pulled on her boots and stood up.

"I hope so." Erin said as they left the tent.

"Lacey? Could I talk to you for a minute?" a voice, specifically Rick's voice, called to the blonde. She sent a quick glance his way, noting the look of worry on his face before looking back to Erin and telling her to go ahead and get some breakfast.

She looked toward the group around the fire, she saw Robert offer his seat to Erin before moving to get her a plate, she also saw Amy with Honey on her lap and Daryl sat next to them, attempting to spoon feed Honey some most likely vegetable flavored jar food, judging by the way she was trying to dodge the spoon.

Lacey smiled smally before walking over to Rick, "What's up?"

"Yesterday, while you and Daryl were out looking for Sophia, I got to talkin' with Hershel, and he told me he expected us to leave once we found Sophia and Carl was all healed up." he explained quietly.

Lacey expected as much from the old man, though there was a sort of kindness he directed her way, and she wasn't clear of the reason. She nodded and waited for Rick to continued, "Now I don't want to get anybody anxious or raise any questions or arguments, so I'm askin' you to keep this relatively quiet. You and your brothers, when you're out searchin' today, search for any places where we might be able to find a permanent means of residence... just in case I can't talk some sense into Hershel." Rick had that worried look again, but then again, it seemed like he always had that look on these days.

Though some color had returned in his skin, he was still pretty weak, even weaker than he was after waking from his coma. Lacey had a constant reflex ready to catch Rick, seeing as she felt he'd pass out anytime soon. From the heat, the exhaustion or the stress. But he never did. He was a strong man, and she found that he seemed to make the statement true, 'What ever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger'.

"You got it." she nodded, "I'll tell the guys to keep it to themselves."

"Thank you." he laid a hand on her shoulder, "Now go and get something to eat. We'll start planning out the search after, get as many of us involved this time."

"Sir, yes, sir." she smirked and headed toward the circle around the fire.

Everyone had been given their grids and their pairings. Lacey went up to the house to get some water, asking Maggie's permission first, and wanting to take a look at Carl, check up on him, her nurse like ways getting the best of her.

"Lacey?" Erin's voice spoke quietly as she tugged on the woman's shirt.  
>"Yeah, doll?" Lacey responded, though she was still focused on and speaking with Maggie on the porch.<br>"I don't feel so..." a thump sounded loudly from the porch, catching the attention from the camp from the volume of it. All eyes turned to see Lacey fall to the floor and scoop Erin up.

"Erin. Erin, baby." she called to the girl, brushing the hair away from her face, but she just lay limp in her arms. Lacey touched her fingers to her neck, finding her pulse she settled down a bit.

"What's wrong?" Lori ran up first, the crowd of survivors staying on the ground below, looking up in wonder.

"I don't know. She came up to me and said something then she just passed out on the floor." Lacey explained quickly and touched the back of her hand to Erin's forehead.

"She's burning up." she sighed and adjusted the small girl in her arms. Maggie opened up the screen door and the three women piled into the house. Lori touched the girls forehead for confirmation.

"A fever?" Hershel asked, leaning on his cane, standing outside Carl's room, probably having just done what Lacey intended, but what now otherwise occupied.

"I don't know. Probably, or heatstroke. I'm gonna lay her down in here. Put something cool on her head. If that's okay?"

Hershel just nodded, "Yes, yes. Do what you need to."

_"That's how it was with Jim. A fever..."  
>"You don't think...?"<br>"Of course not. Lacey said herself, the girl didn't have any bites or scratches on her."  
>"Yeah, that's what she <em>_**told**__ us."  
>"Back off, people. That little girls just got too much sun is all. That's it."<em>

Lacey could hear the conversation from outside, muffled though it was she rolled her eyes at all the comments, Dale and Daryl being the only ones that had actually stuck up for Erin, clearly everyone else's loyalties lied somewhere else. Humanity... what a joke.

"She gonna be okay?" Daryl's boots sounded loudly through the house until they came into the sitting room, where Lacey sat on the floor beside the couch where she laid Erin down.

"Yeah. She'll be fine." she mummbled, her voice cracking for a moment, she looked up to Daryl, "Think you could get me a washclothe or something?"

"I got it." Maggie's voice entered the room, she walked in carrying a purple washclothe, soaked with cool water, she put it on Erin's forehead.

"Thank you." Lacey smiled weakly up at the young woman.

"Is it a fever, Lace, for sure?" Lori asked, falling to her knees beside Lacey.

"I don't know. I'm kind of freaking out right now. My mind's just going through all the medical books I've ever read about heat illnesses. But I can't get a complete thought. I don't know if it's a fever, or if it's heatstroke or hyperthermia. I don't know if I should just let her sweat it out, or if she needs to be immersed, a rapid cool down or what, _what_, I don't know."

Daryl, Hershel and Maggie stood a few feet away, both witnessing a new mother in her very first breakdown over her sick child.

"Alright, alright. Lacey," Lori touched the blonde's shoulder, "Lacey, first, calm down. Now go through that medical book stuff in your head a little slower. What should be done, regardless of classification of fever or hyperthermia. Think, Lace, just think." she spoke calmly, a tone that Lacey had used on her a previous day.

"She should be put somewhere cool, indoors. And uhm, a cool compress, to the head, neck and shoulders. But if it's hyperthermia we need to immerse her."

"Okay, okay." Lori nodded and passed a glance in Maggie's direction and the girl rushed up the stairs a moment later, "What else?"

"Hydration."

"Okay. We'll get her some water, Maggie's getting the tub ready. Daryl, could you get a glass of water? Lacey, hold her under her arms, I'll get her legs."

20 minutes later, Lacey sat on the floor beside the couch again. Erin had decended into fever territory and Lacey was far more at ease. The girl had even come back into consciousness and spoke to her, calling her name before telling her she was okay.

"Yeah," Lacey smiled, "yeah, you're alright. Just rest a while, okay?"

Lacey brushed her fingers through the girls frizzy brown hair, that had been her first real parent scare, nothing compared to what had happened to Carl, but to Lacey... she'd felt her heart accelerate a little differently.

"You did good." Lori assured her, laying a hand on her back.

She glanced up at her friend, "Thanks to you. I owe you."

"Nah, I'd say were equal now." Lori smiled at her before leaving the room and to go check on her son.

"Y'alright, darlin'?" Daryl wondered a moment later.

"Yeah," she looked at him with a nod, "yeah, I'm fine. Just got a little scared."

"Never heard you talk so fast before."

She chuckled, "Yeah. Think I learned that from Lori."

"Hey, um," a voice interrupted, it was Robbie, and he held his shotgun, he'd been on watch, most likely, since they obeyed the no gun rule on Hershel's property unless someone was on watch, "Shane wants to talk to you."

And she could just tell, from his tone alone, that it wasn't going to be a pleasant chat at all.

Lacey stood, her boots clunked loudly in a determind pace as she walked past her brother and into the hall toward the front door.

Rob and Daryl were quick to follow, and just as the screen door clanged shut they saw her, hands on her hips and the straigtness in her spine that only meant trouble, "You got something you want to say to me, Shane?"

"There ain't no gentle way of puttin' it, Lacey, so I'm just gonna go out there and tell it how it is." Shane paused, leaning against the wood of the porch below the stoop.

"And just what would that be?" she took her hands from her hips and crossed her arms over her chest, noting Rob and Daryl's presence beside her now.

Shane glanced at the two men flanking her before adjusting into a more authoritative stance. "That girl is sick, Lacey. She's turnin' just like Jim did." Lacey scoffed at his comment, rolling her eyes when he continued, "Face it! She ain't gonna make it." the camp's attention had been pulled toward the discussion building in volume, "Put her out of her misery before she becomes a walker, Lacey."

A small growl pulled through Lacey's throat as she took the shotgun hanging from Robert's grip and swung it up into her grasp, aiming it at Shane. Those that had been watching before were now rushing over to see just what the hell had gotten into Lacey.

Robert stepped forward to calm her down, but she just shook off his touch and kept the gun aimed at the man just three steps down from her, "You don't know what the _**hell**_ you're talking about. She's not turning into a walker. She's **not**! She's just got a fever, that's it! Just leave her!"

"You've had her for less than a week! Who knows how long she's been on her own, what she's been exposed to-" Shane went on to defend himself, but Lacey, the Queen of Arguments, cut him off easily.

"Oh, exposure? If it's exposure were talking about then we'll all be do for a fever soon, won't we?" Lacey looked around at the faces of the crowd that had accumulated behind the former officer.

Shane shook his head as he took a step up toward the porch, "Just think this through, Lacey-"

The cocking of the shotgun silenced him and stopped him from taking another step, her finger sat on the trigger, "I have. And if you take another step, Walsh, and I will shoot you dead. You leave me, my girls, my _family_, alone. Erin's gonna be just fine. You'll see, you'll all see." she took a moment to glance at her fellow survivors, then back to Shane, keeping him lined up in her shot, if she needed to take it, "And you, Shane Walsh, will be sorry you ever crossed me."

With that said she put the gun back into Robert's hands and went back into the house.

With each argument Lacey had won, and each form of violence she resorted to, a line was being drawn in the dirt, and whether the survivors knew it or not, they were choosing sides, consciously or unconsciously.

After changing the washclothes on Erin's head and neck, Lacey found herself wandering to her bag that Jo had brought in per Lacey's request after the little standoff she had with Shane.

She rummaged around in it before retrieving a cord and her phone, she walked toward the room she'd deemed Carl's room (for the time being), her boots thunking loudly even in her attempt of trying to be a little stealthy.

"What are you doing, Lace?" Lori wondered, the exhaustion evident in her voice and body as Lacey tried to sneak even more quietly into the room when she saw Lori sleeping in the chair beside Carl's bed.

"Oh, nothing. I was just, umm, just going to charge my phone. I thought... well, some patients at the hospital liked their favorite music played, and in some cases they healed faster... so maybe with... with Carl-"

"Go ahead." Lori smiled with a sleepy grin, though still well enough awake to know Lacey was having a hard time with seeing Carl like this, even if he was no longer in life threatening danger.

Lacey nodded and sat down on the floor and plugged the charger into the wall, connecting the phone to it she set the device on the nightstand and pushed the power button.

The phone took it's usually minute to power up, and when the welcome screen left, Lacey found her way to the music app and went to set it to random... but a blinking in the top corner of the screen stopped her...

The icon was red and black, it symbolised a voicemail.

"What?" she mummbled to herself, her curiousity taking over, she dialed her voicemail.

"Lacey, what's wrong? What are you doing?" Lori sat up when she saw the girl put the phone to her ear.

"I have a voicemail." she breathed, putting in her 4 digit code, the automated voice took her to her newest voicemail.

"Who's it from?" Lori leaned down in her chair.

"Lacey?" Lori noticed the blonde's face fall, and her eyes water. She touched a hand to her shoulder, calling her name again.

The blonde snapped out of her trance a minute later, her voice came out in a quivering whisper, "It was from Keenan."

Lori's eyes widened and the girl, with shaking hands, fumbled with the screen, "Here, listen."

She hit the speaker button and moment later Keenan's scared and rushed, accented voice filled the room.

_"Lacey! Lacey, love! Fuck! Your phone's off. Lacey, you've got to turn your phone back on! I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to find you, alright? Just stay where you are, stay safe, stay with your brothers, I'm going to come to Georgia and I will find you, I swear to it, love. I swear."_

The sound of a heavy explosion made the phone's speaker crackle and whine loudly, causing both women to wince slightly, but a moment later they heard Keenan's voice again, cursing and breathing heavily, _"They're dropping bombs on the city! What the hell are they doing! What the fuck is going on! Lacey! Lacey, I'll find you! I love you!" _another burst of overwhelming static took over the speaker, as well as the sounds of screams, shattering glass and total chaos until the call was finally ended 20 seconds later.

A shocked silence took over the two until Lori spoke first, "How long ago was that?"

"About a month... Do you think he's still alive?"

Lori opened and closed her mouth a few times before she found the right words, "In this world... it's hard to say."

Lacey nodded, and ended her voicemail session and put the music on, "I'm gonna look after Erin, if you need anything."

Lori nodded her thanks and Lacey exited the room. Her thoughts raced, as did her heart, faster than usual, but she wasn't sure of the reason. Excitement or was it dread?

"Hey," she mummbled when she spotted Daryl standing in the sitting room.

"Hey, uhh, so, I'm headin' out." Daryl stated with a strange hint of awkwardness and quiet in his voice. She brushed off the quiet factor due to Erin sleeping on the couch just a few feet away, but the awkwardness was a little flashback-from-the-past-ish.  
>Lacey nodded and walked over to him, and circled her arms around his neck, holding onto him a little tighter than usual. He matched the strength in his embrace as his hands settled between her shoulders and the other gripped her waist.<p>

"I hate the idea of you going alone." she mummbled into his shoulder.  
>"I know," he spoke against her hair, "I know. But we gotta find that little girl. And you," he put her at arms length, "you gotta watch over your girls. Keep 'em safe while I'm gone...right?" he gave her a small smirk.<p>

She nodded and hugged him tightly again before pecking his lips lightly and walking with him to the porch.

Her hand gripped his arm, and slowly let go as he walked down the steps.  
>He glanced at her, "See ya later."<p>

She crossed her arms against her chest, watching as he walked off, faking a smile until he was a top a horse and fading into the distance.  
>She walked back in with a sigh, tears threatening to blur her vision. She mentally scolded herself for becoming so weepy recently. She knew she needed to put some time aside for a good cry, she needed to get it all out of her system and function normally again. It was that or just completely break down on whoever was around her when the next thing made her tear up.<p>

"He'll be alright. Far as I seen that man's pretty tough." Maggie's voice startled her, she was in the sitting room and Lacey had jumped the slightest bit. The girl had sneaky way about her, always surprising Lacey, like Jo used to do when they were kids.

"Yeah." she nodded, "I just... I worry about them, whenever they go out there. But, it's like Ben told me, I can't be there to save everyone, it's not the hospital anymore." she shrugged and took her seat on the floor next to the couch where Erin lay.

"I can get you a chair...or something to eat?" Maggie offered, but Lacey just shook her head, "I'm fine."

A few moments passed in complete quiet, "I-...I could...sit with you? Keep you company, get your mind off those men..." she offered slowly.

Lacey looked up to the girl, the desperation she saw in her, she just couldn't day no, a smile pulled at her lips, "I'd like that."

Maggie grinned as she moved to sit down, but then stopped, "Oh! Hang on! I found somethin' yesterday for you. Thought you might like it."

The girl sped out of the room and thundered up the stairs, returning in less than a minute with two bundles wrapped in parcel paper.

"Found these in the attic. When you told me about your girls, I figured they could probably use some extra clothes." Maggie explained as she laid the first paper bundle on the floor and folded the paper away.

Lacey's eyes widened, "Were these your clothes?" she touched the material that had to be more than 30 years old, handmade and slightly moth eaten.

Maggie nodded, "Yeah. Some of my sisters too."  
>"They're so adorable." Lacey commented with a giggle, she smiled at the designs that reminded her of the early 80's, farm girl styled though, modest and stitched with a steady hand.<p>

"I couldn't." she took her hand away.

"No, really. It's fine. I brought them down for you." Maggie smiled and pushed the clothes toward Lacey.

The older girl sighed a chuckle, and looked at the younger girl, a sincere look in her eye, "Thank you. This means a lot."

Maggie nodded, "I know. Seems like everything is hard to obtain these days."

The two nodded in silence, before Lacey piped up, "So you and your sisters wore  
>these?"<p>

"I'm afraid so," Maggie laughed, sifting through the pile with a tiny grimace.

"Well, they're not that bad," Lacey giggled and picked up a particularly vibrant pair of short alls, "though..."

They both laughed and Maggie told a few stories about certain outfits when she and her sisters were younger. When things calmed down she brought the other wrapped up bundle into sight, "I also wanted to give you this. I saw that you're basically the only person with a blade, and I, uhh, I don't know. I guess I figured you'd know what to do with this... ya know, utilise it better than just letting it collect dust in the attic."

Maggie took the paper away and long wooden case sat between them, she opened it and with careful hands she passed it to a very wide eyed Lacey.

"A sword? For real? Woah... where'd you get this?" Lacey took the sword from it scabbard half way, her face that of pure awe.

"My sister, my, um, my older sister. Her name was Lacey, too. She's not with us anymore, but, umm she liked to travel. She's the only one in the family that ever left Georgia." Maggie explained, "She went as far as Russia, and that's where she got this. It's a, uhh, I'm not sure how to say it. Shaksa?"

"Shashka... woah." Lacey corrected and grinned, "So this is, like, authentic?" she put the blade back into the scabbard and looked to the girl who held a pinkness in her cheeks now.

Maggie nodded, "M-hm. Very sharp."

"And no guard. It's _so_ dangerous... I love it." Lacey laughed, "Ya know. I took fencing, so I'll actually know what I'm doing with this."

"Really? That's great." the girl chuckled to herself, wondering what the chances were of giving someone a sword who was already well trained with a blade.

"Yeah..." Lacey put weapon down, her new weapon of choice that, if she was truly honest, she fell in love with instantly, she reached over and hugged the girl, "Thanks, Maggie."

The farm girl seemed smitten with Lacey, and she had wondered why. But then it was explained, somewhat. Maggie had a sister named Lacey, an older sister by the sounds of it, and she deducted that with another Lacey around, an older girl, but not that much older than herself, Maggie felt like she had her older sister back, or at least, an older sister figure back in her life. And she thought to herself, maybe that's what the deal was with Hershel too.

But she was Lacey Black, not Lacey Greene. She was from New York, lost her parents at age 9, worked tons of jobs, went to college and worked as a nurse in Atlanta and had had the intention of '_blowing this popsicle stand_' to go back to where her heart was.

Which made her think where her heart was... where _was_ her heart? With Keenan in New York? Or...

"Oh, just the girl I'm looking for." Carol's voice entered the room and Lacey and Maggie pulled away from their embrace to look toward the older woman smiling at them.

"I was wondering, well, Lori and I, were wondering if we could cook dinner, as a sort of thank you for all that you've done for us." Carol spoke hesitently, but Maggie nodded.

"Sounds nice. Ya'll are welcome to start whenever you'd like. You in on it too, Lacey?" Maggie smirked.

Lacey scoffed, "God, no. I'm definitely not the kind of person you want in the kitchen working on food you have the intention of eating."

Carol and Maggie laughed and Lacey quickly added, "Though, I don't mean to brag, but I _am_ a pretty great dish washer."

Another bout of laughter, and Erin waking up for a minute to ask what was so funny, Lacey explained what was going on, gave the girl a drink of water and got her settled to sleep again before deciding to step outside for a minute or two.

She made sure to grab her new weapon, her mind speaking in random spurts about whether she should name it or not, then going further into the process of naming things, '_Sword. Shashka. Russia. Rus? No, that's crap. Umm, shiny, sharp, sharpy, stabby, pommel, pom-y, scabbard, scabby. Scabby! Scabby?... yeah. Scabby could totally work._'

She looked around at the somewhat empty camp, Amy was seated in the shade by the fireless firepit, with Honey, as well as Rocket and Blondie.

"Who wants to gimme a little practice with this baby?" she announced as she took the deadly blade from its scabbard, the weapon becoming deadlier in her well practiced hands.

"Fuck to the no. Ya little pirate." Robert's voice called, and just a good shouting distance away she saw him, Jo and Blue coming back into the camp.

She stuck her tongue out at her brother before swinging the blade around, getting a feel for the weight and finding the right grip. She took a few slices at the air, and a few jabs before she put it away and took a seat by the fire. She took the baby that reached out for her, giving her some ridiculous baby talk before she looked up at Jo and Rob who took their seats on the other side of Amy.

"Nothing?" she asked.

They shook their heads, "Nothing looked too promising in our grid. Maybe the others will find something." Robert said and took a swig of water from his water bottle.

"Maybe your **hunk** of _man_ _meat_ will find something." Jo added with a wide grin, but his smile faded quickly when Lacey didn't come back with a fiery retort or even look at him, "What happened?"

Both brothers sat on the edges of their chairs, assuming the worst, but Lacey just took Honey's hands into hers before looking at him, "I plugged in my phone today... and I... had a voicemail..."

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead.<strong>


	35. 17 point 5

_"Lacey?" Lori noticed the blonde's face fall, and her eyes water. She touched a hand to her shoulder, calling her name again._

_The blonde snapped out of her trance a minute later, "It was from Keenan."_

_Lori's eyes widened and the girl, with shaking hands, fumbled with the screen, "Here, listen."_

_She hit the speaker button and moment later Keenan's scared and rushed, accented voice filled the room._

"Lacey! Lacey, love! Fuck. Your phone's off. Lacey, you've got to turn your phone back on! I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to find you, alright? Just stay where you are, stay safe, stay with your brothers, I'm going to come to Georgia and I will find you, I swear to it, love. I swear."

_The sound of a heavy explosion made the phone's speaker crackle and whine, but a moment later they heard Keenan's voice again, cursing and breathing heavily, _"They're dropping bombs on the city! What the hell are they doing! What the fuck is going on! Lacey! Lacey, I'll find you! I love you!" _another burst of overwhelming static took over the speaker, as well as the sounds of screams, shattering glass and total chaos until the call was finally ended 20 seconds later._

_A shocked silence took over the two until Lori spoke first, "How long ago was that?"_

_"About a month... Do you think he's still alive?"_

_Lori opened and closed her mouth a few times before she found the right words, "In this world... it's hard to say."_

_Lacey nodded, and ended her voicemail session and put the music on, "I'm gonna look after Erin, if you need anything."_

All the hope in her voice when she asked Lori if she thought he was still alive. That guy. The guy that was goin' to marry Lacey. He may or may not have been alive, but he even with a month old voicemail he had my girl fillin' up with all kinds of hope, and wonder, and excitement. If what he said was true, and he actually did make it out of New York and was making his way here... well... where did that leave me?

What am I to her anyway? We _like_ each other, that's all we've admitted to. We care about each other, and I care about her little girl, well girls. Seeing the way she freaked out, went to work and defended Erin, I knew she was serious about this.

But... But it's like, Honey, Erin and I, we're all people she met and cared for _after_, we're her After. Keenan was her everything _before_, her Before. What happens to us if he shows up and whisks her away like some goddamn Irish Prince Charming. _Keenan_...

Ya know what- what the fuck do I care? It's not like we're anything serious. We fucked a couple times, and we've kissed and we share a tent and I have this stupid insatiable need to protect her and her damn family. That's it. That's all. Nothin', but survivors.

If Keenan does stay true to his word, I'll be yesterday's news, she'll definitely go back to him. I mean, why wouldn't she? I'm just some dirty yokel from Georgia. He's some Irish millionaire dude who can make all her dreams come true, and they can be all Irish and happily ever after together... Or, no, wait. Are they Scottish or Irish?... Scottish, that's what Robert told me. Black is a Scottish name, and their dad was full blooded and their mom was half... He said she got her loud mouth from their father... her looks from their mom...

Man, what the fuck? Why can't I keep her? I mean, I ain't got much to offer, but, ya know, I could- uhh, I could... Wait... I'm worryin' about this? About a girl that was even mine to begin with? And I'm tryin' to find somethin' that I can bring to the table so she'll have to choose? What the f-

Oh shit... I'm... _jealous_...

-_D.D._


	36. 18

**A/N: Last week was a crap week, and I think this week might be the same. Though my Walking Dead comics arrived the other day, so that was very uplifting, but basically! I hate cold weather and college. But your reviews have cheered me up! Thanks for those, and I'm sorry about the slow updating, I'm hoping it won't be a week between updates like this, so let's hope for the best and enjoy this mushy-ridiculously-awkward-and-adorable chapter.**

* * *

><p><em>Everything's <em>_**Fine**__ / Like Lori and Rick_

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day, Lacey, Rob, Jo and Amy talked about the possibilities of Keenan's actual survival and showing up in Georgia. They wondered what they would do, what he would do, where they would go, and of course, Robert played the 'what about Daryl' card.<p>

"Ya know, I'll just- I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it, how 'bout that, huh?" Lacey answered in a mildly high pitched, uncomfortable tone, along with a series of shrugs. Robert rolled his eyes and watched as his sister stood up and excused herself to see what was going on in the kitchen.

She left Honey in his care and as she walked she saw Ben in the distance, he gave her a wave and she returned it and headed inside. She wasn't really in a talking mood, and with Ben she knew Robert would spill the beans and he'd probably get into a fight with her about _morality_ again. And she just wasn't really up for it. She had a lot weighing on her mind and right now she just really need to focus on getting Erin back to a healthy 98.6 degrees.

Erin was still asleep, and before she changed her washclothes again, she took note of her temperature against the back of her hand, she was cooling down. Lacey smirked in momentary triumph and then headed to Carl's room, her music hadn't woken him and he seemed to regaining some slight color in his cheeks.

There was nothing to worry about, nothing to stress her out, nothing at all...

_Except_ the fact that her fiance, or was it ex fiance? She didn't know which to classify it as, but Keenan had called her a month ago and made a promise to find her, collect her and take her somewhere safe, she assumed. But with that burning thought in mind she thought about Daryl. How could she not...

Daryl was the man she was sleeping with and sharing a tent with. The man was in love with her adopted baby daughter, and was taking a quick liking to Erin, her newest girl, as well. She liked the guy, she had established that, and he liked her too. They had admitted it, but it wasn't like they were dating or something. They were just... survivors and they cared about each other and the safety of each other and everyone else and-... yeah. They were just two members of this group, who had connected and... well... the more she thought about the more she couldn't explain what it was exactly. It honestly confused the hell out of her. Things were so much simpler before, when you liked someone you could pursue them and date and what ever else should happen after that. But in this a_fter_ world it seemed like such a hassel, or like it didn't seem right... it felt like taking advantage of someone...

Her eyes widened at her thoughts, '_Oh God... Am I taking advantage of Daryl?_' With that question in mind she followed up with a wide array of curses, accused herself of being a rapist, and found her mind scolding her in a way that Ben might have.

But then she thought about her girls. What would Keenan-

She halted her thoughts, stopping them before she developed a murderous headache which was already pricking at her temples. She reached up and tried to rub the pain away, and half hoped to rub the thoughts away. If only it were that easy.

"You okay? You look like your about to have steam come out of your ears or somethin'."

Lacey looked around her, she was back in the sitting room, she damned her body parts for betraying her while she was in deep thought, and she appeared to have been pacing, she turned and saw Maggie, "Just some, uhh, troubling thoughts, is all. How's dinner coming?"

"Fine. But, umm, I was wondering..." Maggie glanced around, her tone turning into just a whisper, "I kinda wanted your opinion. Since you've got an active sex life..."

Lacey raised a brow, "Active... I've done it twice in the past 2 and a half months. Yeah, _active_." she shook her head with a snort.

"Well, you know what I mean." Maggie laughed quietly, she bit her lip before she continued, "I mean, I kinda wanna be with Glenn again. But I told him it was a one time thing, and I've kinda been bitchy to him. Do ya... Do ya think if I offer he'll go for it?"

Lacey let out a short chuckle before laying a hand on Maggie's shoulder, "Oh, to be young... Darlin'," she paused, and realised how much she loved how Daryl said that, it put a calm in her like no other nickname did, but she shook the thought off and put her head back into the matter at hand, "if you offer sex to any guy, he'll take it... Well, not _any_ guy, but most guys. And Glenn?" she laughed, "Look at you, Mags. He won't be able to resist." she laughed again when Maggie fell into a fit of giggles when her accent had tweeked from southern to absolute New Yorker in a matter of seconds.

A loud crack echoed through the quiet country air, causing everyone on the farm to jump and become silent. Lacey's head snapped to the direction of the sound, she looked back to Maggie, the same question in her eyes that Lacey had, the two shot out of the house quickly. A thunder of steps followed them, Lori, Carol and Patricia coming from the kitchen.

Lori came to stand next to Lacey and shaded her eyes, Lacey did the same and squinted slightly to see the men, Ben, Rick, Shane, Glenn and T-Dog, in the distance scrambling over something.  
>"Your eyes are better than mine, Lace. What happened?" Lori asked.<p>

"Can't really tell." Lacey mummbled, but as she squinted a little harder and her vision came into focus, she saw two of the five figures heft up a sixth. Through all the dirt, grime and blood covering the slumped figure she wasn't quite sure who exactly they were supporting and bringing back into camp. But then she saw Glenn pass Ben a crossbow and everything was answered, her heart skipped a beat before it pounded furiously a moment later, "Daryl!" she practically screeched as she ran as fast as she could to the group. Her legs were screaming for her to slow down but she didn't stop until she was in front of Rick and Shane supporting a bloodied, battered and passed out Dixon.

"What happened!" she cried, tears falling from her eyes without her knowledge as she gently touched around the two bleeding areas on his head, she gasped at the bloodied clothe cinched tightly around his middle, the clothe was almost dripping from all it had soaked up. She placed her hands on his face, treating him like broken glass, "Daryl? Come on, baby, wake up." she urged him, but he just hung limp against the men holding him up.

"He's unconscious, Lacey. He's hurt bad." Rick explained with an apologetic look on his face.  
>Lacey gave a short nod and moved out of the way, following them closely as they walked toward the house, "What was that shot?"<p>

She looked around to see Glenn, T-Dog, who made an effort not to make eye contact, Ben just shook his head when she looked at him, and for second, though she wasn't very good at it, she could almost read his expression, like he knew she was going to be upset, much more than she already was. And as they got closer to the house she noticed Dale and Andrea approaching them, and the female of the two looked frazzled and guilty.

"I'm sorry. The sun was in a bad place. I thought he was a walker, I didn't know. I just-" Andrea sputtered quickly, but shut up when Lacey gave her a fierce glare.

Lori grabbed the younger girl's arm when she saw her fists clench, her right arm started to give a shake before reeling back, knowing her friend far better than the rest of the group, aside from her brothers, she knew she had to intervene. There was no telling what exactly Lacey would do to Andrea, but she'd seen Lacey almost kill a girl once, and she assumed it would be similar, or even worse. And they didn't need to lose anymore people.

"Come on, Lace." Lori consoled her as they; she, Lacey, Shane, Rick and Daryl entered the house.

One of the few rooms down stairs now contained an injured Daryl.

Lacey insisted on stitching his head up, while Hershel took care of the arrow wound on his left side.

"Shit." Daryl winced, reaching up to swat away what was pulling at the skin of his forehead.  
>"Easy, babe. I'm just stitching you up." Lacey spoke softly, her nurse voice.<p>

Daryl's tired eyes looked all around before landing on her, her soft smile and her sad eyes.  
>"Well, 'f it inn't little miss nurse Black. Pretty sure I could do with a sponge bath." he slurred slightly before his head cleared and he looked around to see they weren't alone. Lacey rolled her eyes, and was slightly amused at his lack of filter and silly musings due to his major loss of blood, she gave the final stitch before stepping away to get some gauze.<p>

"What happened to you, Daryl?" Rick spoke up, and the bruised and filthy Dixon ran through his tale, explaining what he went through and in the end found Sophia's doll near a stream.

Rick and Shane left the room after that, rolling up the survey map and departing without a sceond glance. Hershel washed his hands of blood in a bowl on the dresser before nodding to Lacey, "I assume you'll be taking care of him?"

She nodded back with a small smile, "Yeah, I got it covered, Mr. Greene, thank you." He nodded, a knowing look in his eye that didn't go unnoticed by Lacey as he left the room.

"You scared me." she mummbled as she put the gauze away, satisfied that his stitches were well protected.

"Shouldn't you be worryin' about Erin... or your _husband_."

Lacey raised a brow as she crossed the room, she wasn't sure how he'd managed to find out about the voicemail, Lori had been there and she'd only just told Jo, Rob and Amy. He must have heard it through the door, and he probably heard other things said too. Lacey sighed, this is what she deserved for eavesdropping on him, but the way he was acting about it was... troubling, more troubling than how she was reacting to it. She took a seat on the edge of his bed so he had no choice but to look at her.

"Erin's fever's going down. Slowly. But it's going down..." she paused, thinking of how exactly to express herself without any embarrassment or too much implied or said.

"Keenan's message was over a month ago...And he was still in New York, who knows if he's made it past the state line...or if he's alive even..." she scooted closer to him when he rolled his eyes and looked off toward the wall. Her hands flinched and entangled together, not knowing if she should try and lay a hand on him or not, not sure if he was mad and jealous or just mad. She knew Daryl, but this wasn't something she knew how to deal with. She hadn't ever had a situation like before, actually. No boyfriend of hers ever got mad at her, or got jealous, she was always a sweet, goofy and faithful girlfriend, though her mind did tend to go astray sometimes she never cheated or picked fights. But Daryl wasn't her boyfriend, he was... something else, something not categorized, and she didn't know how to rememdy the situation.

But then she thought back to the 20 or so minutes before... her reaction was miles different from how she had reacted to the voicemail earlier that morning... And with that detail now in her head, she found she didn't have that little pinch in her head waiting to explode into a blinding, cripling headache. In just her actions she found her answer, she made her choice. A smile pulled at her lips, but at the risk of looking like a grinning fool she smothered it as best she could before speaking again.

"I'm gonna keep my head out of the clouds and stick to what I know...I care about you, Daryl Dixon." Lacey spoke in a steady, unwavering voice, and touched her hand to his shoulder, unafraid of the consequences if there were any.

"I care about you, my brothers and my girls and that's it. Keenan should've been with me the moment this started. He should have been the one protecting me. He-... he didn't even think to call me until a month after this started. He isn't my _husband_ either, 'cause if he was I'd be thinking of, or dreaming of or cheating on him with you." she laughed at her own words, and quickly followed up the silly comment with an explanation, knowing it didn't really make much sense, "And I know we didn't know each other before this, aside from you being a customer at one of my less than respectable former occupations, but I'd sure as _hell_ search and search to find you, Mr. Dixon." she kept her eyes trained on his face, looking for any sign, any detail to show her that he was listening and that he believed her, she saw a twitch on his mouth, and she knew he was forcing himself not to smirk.

"I need a man who looks out for me... not only me, but others too, people he doesn't need to protect or don't even deserve his protection, but he chooses to, 'cause he's a good man. And he's always there when I need him...and he's always a few steps ahead of me... he sends my heart racing when he looks at me, but makes my heart stop when he's hurt."

Lacey paused and saw him glance at her from the corner of his eye and she smiled before adding her final words, "A man who never gives up...and a man who doesn't want me calling him my boyfriend."

Daryl let out a chuckle, but winced slightly from the pain in his side before turning to look at her.  
>"You mean it?"<p>

She nodded, "I do."

He glanced at the door way, the door was slightly cracked but he still shifted so that he lay on his back and brought his right hand over to hold onto her hip, "So you mean to say, that if that guy _did_ show up you'd stick with me?"

She nodded in the affirmative and he gave a nod too, "You're crazy, Darlin'."

She glared before hitting his arm, after that huge, somewhat embarrassing speech to get him to actually look at her and speak to her again he went and made a comment like that.

He laughed before actually looking at her, Lacey Black, the small blonde, the nurse, the badass, the girl that made him think that he wasn't good enough, that made him _jealous_, all those negative thoughts he had, they all seemed to vanish. She'd choosen him. The little New Yorker and a Georgian. A smirk was on his lips at the new uplifting thought, but it fell a few moments later.

"What's wrong?" Lacey asked, that nurse in her never seemed to miss a thing.

Daryl looked at door way again, unsure if he wanted to actually tell her or just keep it to himself. But after all that she'd said and her choosing him, and her being a nurse and such, he gave in, giving her a look that told her that this was to stay between the two of them, "I saw some things while I was out there. I don't want anyone else knowin', but... I wanna tell you."

She nodded, hearing his quiet tone she took the hint and spoke just a little above a whisper, "Saw? Besides walkers?"

"Yeah... I, umm...I saw Merle...but it was my mind playin' tricks on me, I know that."

"Did he talk to you?" she asked. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Lacey to hear about hallucinations, quite a few patients of hers had the chance of hallucination like symtoms, and when they did, and they told her about them, she heard the strangest or most ordinary of things.

Daryl snorted, "Bastard said a lot of things. Makin' me feel guilty as fuck for not lookin' for him... said...no one cares about me but him...not even you...since you got that message from your..."

Lacey snorted this time, "Well, obviously that was your subconcious, and it was obviously wrong." she smiled, "When I heard that shot and I saw you. There wasn't anything else in the world that mattered, except when Andrea started apologizing, then I got into a blind fury, she better keep her distance from me for a while or I'll be forced to beat some ass."

"Hey," Daryl said after a chuckling, "heard you callin' me 'baby'." he smirked, gripping her hip a little tighter, "Am I another little kid for you to protect 'n take care of?"

She smiled, "No, no. Honey and Erin are my babies. You...you're my _baby._" she practically purred as she leaned closer to him. The mood in the room shifted again, and Daryl's eyes seemed to darken.

His grip on her hip tightened a little more, "Say it ag'in." just close to a growl. His grasp on her made her gasp, only playing into it a little more as her lips were just a centimeter from his, and her breath ghosted over him, "_Baby_."

He groaned, biting his lip as his eyes rolled shut, "Feelin' better already." he nudged her with his hips, and she noted the definite hardness poking her from beneath the sheets.

And just as quickly as Lacey had turned it on, she shut it off. "Don't think so." she stood up from the bed, away from his touch and out of his reach, "You need rest and you've lost too much blood to be sending it south like that. Just relax, doctor's orders." she smiled.

Daryl grunted in irritation, "Can I at least have a kiss?"  
>"Hmm, I don't know. Staff-patient romances are strictly forbidden." Lacey smirked, Daryl rolled his eyes and she leaned down and kissing him so softly that even he felt like he was made of glass.<p>

She pulled away and kissed his cheek before standing up.  
>"Why don't you bring Erin in here? Use up less room in the house. I know if I was that old fella I'd be pissed as hell that strangers were takin' over my house."<p>

Lacey stared at him, eyes widening slightly, "That's a good idea... and it had nothing to do with killing walkers or tracking things... You're delusional...I think you lost too much blood."

"Damn it, woman, just do what I say... And bring my baby girl in here."  
>"Alright, alright. Just trying to have a bit of fun. I thought you were dead. <em>Forgive me<em>for trying to lighten the mood." she smiled smally and left the room, "Don't go anywhere." she popped her head around the door and winked, before she disappeared from the house.

"How's Daryl?" asked JoJo as Lacey approached the camp.  
>"He's fine. I'm gonna watch over him and Erin. He wants to see Honey. Needs some cheering up."<p>

"Ma!" Honey squealed from Amy's lap, the young blonde laughed, "She certainly knows when she's being talked about." she stood up and passed the girl to Lacey.

"Hey there." Lacey cooed to the girl, "You know where to find me." she called over her shoulder to her brother and Amy as she walked toward the house with Honey.

"There's my baby girl." Daryl's voice wasn't as strong as it was before she'd left, he must have fallen asleep for a minute or two, he had to be exhausted. Lacey laughed as the girl squirmed in her arms and crawled onto the bed, sitting in the area where Daryl's body and his extended right arm made an arch. But just as Honey's playful demeanor started it ended, her tiny brow wrinkling at the sight of his bandaged up head and side.

Daryl chuckled quietly, "This girl makes the most serious expressions, I've never seen a baby so concerned."

"She's worried, just like everyone else." Lacey smiled.  
>"Not e<em>veryone<em>else." he mummbled with an eye roll, "Got hurt, baby girl." Daryl explained to the little blonde in front of him, he took her tiny hand into his, her small fingers circling tightly around his middle finger, "But your Mama fixed me up, made me better." his eyes looked over to Lacey who blushed slightly, taking his other hand when his fingers began to wiggle at her.

At the word 'mama' Honey looked to Lacey, "Ma." she mummbled in a quiet voice, then looked to Daryl, a confused yet calculating expression on her face now. Lacey grinned, she couldn't help it, the girl was just too adorable, the way she tried to piece things together. She couldn't walk, she was just learning to sit up on her own, and she only knew one word and she maybe 4 months away from what could possibly be her first birthday. But even in her fresh, young mind she was trying to figure it out and in doing so extending her vocabulary.

Lacey offered her a small nudge, "Daryl." she supplied, "This is Daryl." she pronounced his name in an obnoxiously slow way, but as she looked into Honey's eyes to give that new word a try she saw something click in those beautiful browns.

Her stomach dropped when she heard the girl say it. It was so unexpected, yet it seemed so well praticed. Her hand in Daryl's grasp stiffened and she found an itching in her legs that wanted her to jump out the window.

"Dada!" Honey had squealed with such enthusiam that she even clapped for herself. She grinned proudly at him then to Lacey.

Lacey's eyes wide, amazed, confused and worried stared at the girl, and she smiled back at the girl after her moment of frozen shock.

"Mama." Honey mummbled next before crawling closer to Daryl.

Lacey nodded in approval, she couldn't look at Daryl... She didn't know why, it was strange, her stomach was clenched up and she found herself unable to form words. Mama and Dada? She was scared, and she wasn't sure why. But what she did know was that she needed to get out of that room, if only for a minute or two. She felt tears pricking her eyes, making them burn and water and she mentally cursed her emotions for making her less than stable again. She needed that damn cry and she needed it soon, but now was definitely not the time for it. She needed to wrap her head around this 'Dada' thing first, before anything. She had a feeling her initial reaction of fear was irrational, but... she just couldn't shake the feeling. She made her move, trying to appear casual and unshaken.

"I, uh. I'm gonna check on Erin, see if she's hungry, then I, uh...I'll, uh... yeah." she stumbled through her words as she got up from the chair next to the bed and left the room. '_Smooth. Fucking idiot. God! What is wrong with me?_'

Of course, when they get everything set to normal (nothing could be classified as normal in this world. No where near to normal, the farthest from normal they'll ever be, but it was close enough) something pops up to disrupt the calm (mild calm, _mild_)...

"Dada? Really?" she grumbled and sighed, rubbing her temples with the heels of her hands and walked to the couch where Erin lay, gently rousing her to come and eat something, and opening up a jar of baby food for Honey. She knew someone else was behind this, she saw the way Honey had put things together, she couldn't have put them together by herself, there was another party involved in this. Someone that knew what they were doing, and she knew exactly who that someone was... he'd get a _severe_talking to when she found the time.

After Erin had her fill Lacey guided the girl toward Daryl's room. She set the girl on his bed and the jar of food on the nightstand before leaving again to retrieve the cot from the tent. Setting it up at the foot of the bed and laying Erin down comfortably before moving on to Honey.

"Come on, baby girl. Time to eat." she smiled, Daryl noticed how the smile didn't reach her eyes as she spoon fed the baby on his bed.

His eyes never left her as she fed Honey until the girl rejected the next spoonful Lacey offered.  
>"You gonna stay? Watch over Erin?" he spoke as Lacey put the top on the tiny jar and set it on the nightstand again.<p>

"Yeah." she ran her fingers through her hair, tucking some behind her ear, "You and Erin." she stood up reaching for Honey, "I'm just gonna get her situated with JoJo, then I'll come back."

"She can stay. She can't do any harm to me."  
>Lacey nodded, "Okay." and leaned back into her chair, it was padded, but it just as uncomfortable as a wooden chair.<p>

"Darlin'," Daryl's voice called to her, a smirk on his mouth, "You ain't sleepin' in that chair...I just won't have that."

Lacey matched his smirk, "You need space."  
>"No, no, darlin', this is the first bed we'll have in months, we're gonna share it. We shared a goddamn couch, we'll share a bed, so get in here."<p>

She smiled, unable to deny him and the look on Honey's face as she realised they would all be together for the night.

Lacey turned out the light before lifting up the covers and scooting in onto the mattress, pulling Honey into her chest as they all got comfortable.

Darkness and quiet filled the room, and for five minutes Lacey believed everyone had fallen asleep and she could eventually sneak out to give Daryl more room, but that plan fell through at the sound of Daryl's voice. Gravely and tired, in a whisper he spoke.

"Saw the look on your face when she called me that..."  
>She stayed quiet. Thankful for the darkness to hide her blush taking over her entire face, ears, neck and chest.<p>

"Why you scared?"  
>"Not scared." she whispered, then bit her lip, "Maybe a little...she's grown attatched to us...we're her..." she gulped, never believing she'd associate the word with herself and someone else, "parents..." she paused, the word seemed so foreign when she referred to her and Daryl, but when she spoke of Lori and Rick or her own mother and father it didn't seem strange at all. But then a thought came to mind, hitting her like a punch to the stomach, the thought of her own parents. "What happens when we're suddenly not there?"<p>

"We'll be there." Daryl was quick to answer, startling Lacey slightly, there was no hesitation, "We'll always be there. For Honey and for Erin...these girls lucked out on parental figures, they got two tough, badass parents. They'll be fine."

Lacey chuckled quietly, running her fingers through Honey's hair for a minute before speaking again, "I thought you'd be freaked out by it...like it...like her words suddenly swore you in...ya know? I mean, she sees us as _mom_ and _dad_, like a... like a couple, ya know...like Lori and Rick..."

"Yeah...kinda like them." Daryl agreed, choosing not to note the fact that Lori was knocking boots with Shane for a while before Rick came back. He figured it wasn't his place to out Lori's secret to her best friend, it didn't seem right to tell her and smudge the image she'd created. The two people she'd known longest in Georgia, people she idolized in terms of marriage and family.

Things quieted down after that, and just before Daryl almost fell asleep to the calm sounds of his three girls sleeping he thought about his parents and Lacey's parents. They didn't have the greatest upbringing, but he vowed to always be there for the girls, always protect them and care for them. Lacey's parents had loved her, they'd treated her like a princess, but Daryl... he barely existed in his father's eyes, and his mother? It's safe to say he didn't recieve even a fraction of what Lacey and her brothers were lucky to have before it disappeared.  
>Parents... they were parents now... but weren't parents supposed to love each other?<p>

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>


	37. 18 point 5

I am sick of guns. Sick of them. Yes, they're for protection and what have you, but they're loud, dangerous and seem to be causing more problems than solving any. Twice they've hurt someone close to me. Twice. They shouldn't be hurting anyone at all, save for the walkers.

I'm swearing myself off of guns. No more guns, just my knife and my sword. Quiet, efficient and no chance of danger... unless they fall into the wrong hands.

But I'll keep them on my person at all times, always...

I'll offer to investigate something first, before the rest come guns blazing...

I'll do _everything_, just no more guns unless we're **positively** _sure_ there is a walker threat, or if we're completely surrounded. That's it. I'm sure no one will agree to my ideas, especially those that tote their guns around all the time, I'm just the nurse... But I'm also the nurse that knows how to put people in their place and has ownership over the dogs that act as secondary guardians. I brought a whole new level of security to this camp. And I've apparently got a say in some decisions.

Quiet is key, they know that... But people like Shane won't listen to me. Ugh... Shane. And to think Ben actually thought about setting us up together 5 years ago. No fucking way. That bastard has crossed the line way too many times, and whatever the hell is happening between him and Lori, I'm sure when Lori tells me I won't like that either. Preaching like his word is gospel...  
>One of these days I'm gonna strike that man, and I'm hoping he'll make the first move.<br>He's got a crazed look in his eye, ever since the CDC I've noticed it. Something's growing in that mind of his, an idea or a plan, and every day, maybe even every hour it's expanding.

I'm not one for planning ahead, but before the day Shane snaps, I want to make sure who's on my side and who's on his. I've got my brothers... well, maybe just Rob and Jo. I've got my girls. I think I've got Amy and Dale. I'm not sure about the rest. I think if Maggie had to pick a side she'd be on mine, but I doubt she'll be joining our camp, even if she likes Glenn.

Ugh, I'm so exhausted. All the fear, worry and anger. Really takes it out of ya.

First Sophia, then Carl, then Erin, now Daryl, and we still haven't found Sophia and I haven't had a proper cry. But now that I think about it, I might not have to cry. Maybe I've worked my way out of it and I don't need to anymore. Ha! I must be getting tougher and tougher each day! Indestructable, incorruptable, unstoppable.

Maybe.

-_L.B._


	38. 19

**A/N: So! It's been a long wait, and I'm not too happy about... well, about most things right now, but anyway! I figured I shouldn't take it out on you guys, but anyway, this chapter seems sort of filler-y to me, but hopefully it'll be enjoyable, and in the long run (like maybe two chapters from now, it'll mean a little more), SO! sorry about the wait! And thanks for the reviews :D**

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><p><em>I Love You, Lacey<em>

* * *

><p>The next morning Daryl was moved carefully from the guest bed in the Greene home to his tent out in the yard where camp was set up.<p>

Lacey went out of her way to set up his old tent so he'd have more room to heal.  
>And when he was finally settled in, and Lacey actually believed that he was settled in up to her standards, she asked him once more if he needed anything before he shooed her off with a, 'Woman, you got kids to take care of. I'mma be fine.'<p>

"Fine." she huffed, "But I'll be checking up on you whether you like it or not."  
>He just rolled his eyes, the strange act of being taken care of was completely new to him, and it sort of confused him and made him uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to tell Lacey that, she was a licensed nurse, and he'd let her do as she pleased so long as in the end he did have to feel the consequences of her motherly wrath.<p>

He grew bored, it wasn't uncommon, when he was a boy he was more often than not bored out of his mind, and lonely. An absent mother, an appearance from his father was about the same as seeing a full moon, (which led him to believe, for a while, that his father was some sort of reverse werewolf, and he'd only show up at home during the day of a full moon. Merle had supported this idea, and had plugged more inklings into his little brother's head about vampires, the Loch Ness monster and ghosts, further scaring a young Daryl Dixon into sleepless nights and collected reason for fear of all things paranormal.) and an older brother who seemed to attract trouble and served the sentences for his misdoings.

He found his escape though, in his imagination, through small tasks and teaching himself the basics of survival. Or like now, he entertained himself by poking holes through the tent screen with one of his arrows. He smirked to himself, knowing Lacey, in her own motherly way might come back and find the holes and scold him for it. He knew she wasn't very confident in her new parenting role, she'd just come into it nearly 4 months ago, (and he'd now been pulled into it, not by force of course) but he could see it in her actions. The girls were her responsibility, their lives were in her hands, and she was worried she wasn't as good a protector as she thought she was. But Daryl knew Lacey was doing well, better than well. She was great. And he was glad to have her little brother stumble upon their camp. And if Ben hadn't have sworn he saw the smoke from their fire pits, they never would have met.

The arrow in his hands stopped poking holes and just sat in his grasp as his mind wandered off, thinking about where he'd be, where they all might be, if Lacey and her crew hadn't joined their group...

"You son of a bitch!"  
>Robert jumped, startled by the tone in his sister's voice, and knowing that it was absolutely directed at him even though his back was to her.<p>

"Hello, sister dearest." he turned, putting on a casual act, knowing she hated whenever he did that. He was in a teasing mood, and he knew exactly what was up with Lacey.

"You _bastard_. This is your doing, isn't it? She learned who _Mama_ was, and how to say mama from **you**. So, of course I put the pieces together to find out you've been teaching her to say other things. _Dada_? Really? How long have you been planting that into her brain?" Lacey stood with her hands on her hips in front of the lawn chair that Robert sat in just finishing his breakfast.

Robert laughed, putting his plate aside, he folded his hands on his lap, another thing he knew she hated, when he acted completely calm to counter her fuming anger, "Look, I'm sorry, Lace, really. But I'm just trying to help you out."

"Help me out? _Help me out_! Last night made it on my top 5 most awkward moments ever list. Between the time I went to the store and had to go through your line with a box of flavored condoms, and the time when I sat in cherry jello in the hospital cafeteria and didn't have a change of clothes."

"Lacey. Listen to me." Robbie spoke seriously after chuckling at her recalling her few more than embarrassing times in her life. "I've seen the way you two are together. I know neither of you will admit it, but you have strong feelings for each other. And I'm totally alright with that, so is Jo, I'm not sure about Ben, I think he's just ignoring it, but _anyway_, when are _you_going to be alright with that?"

She raised a brow at him and he rolled his eyes, "Okay, remember what Lori said, about none of us taking a moment to hold onto anything of our old selves? Yes, we live in a psychotic world where the dead come back to life and consume the living. Yes, we live each day scared to go to sleep and even more scared to wake up. But that doesn't mean we have to recreate our lives around our survival. People are people. They're are attracted to each other, _like_each other. People kiss, have sex and love each other. Just because our main focus is survival doesn't mean we have to beat down our other instincts. You like Daryl, Daryl likes you, it's simple, Lacey, seriously, you went to college for God's sake." he paused to scoff fakely before continuing, "I've seen the way you two are. Your feelings are expanding... it's different with him. I can see it." Robert sat back and looked at his little sister, "Even through all this shit you seem like you're truly happy with him... way different than you were with Keenan."

Lacey blinked a couple times a few moments after he stopped speaking, completely baffled, "Woah... I've never had the weird sibling mind reading thing turned on me before." she shivered fakely, "JoJo's right. That's creepy."

Robert smiled, "Just think about it."

"I have...I'm just...I don't know, I don't know if I'm actually there yet, and I don't want to scare him... Though he seemed perfectly fine when Honey said 'Dada'."

Robert shrugged, "There you go."

Lacey laughed, "You utilised a baby to make me and Daryl come closer together?"

"I work in mysterious ways." he said simply, causing Lacey to let out another laugh. "And frankly, I'm sick of the way some people have been looking at you two, like your sinners or something. It's the end of the god damn world, you two can do whatever the fuck you want. Judgmental assholes."

She nodded slowly, her eyebrows raised, "Well! Someone needs a beer...or..." Lacey leaned forward and sniffed, "have you been drinking already?"

"Just make yourselves an item already. Like Laryl, or, or, Lacyl, Darey, Lar- Dar, Darcey! Yeah, that's it! The exclusive couple known as _Darcey_. The tabloids are definitely gonna run with it."

"It's 8 in the morning! Oh God, it's like you're getting drunker by the second. How did I not notice before?" Lacey started walking backward.

"Mysterious ways!" Robert called loudly and dramatically.

"Okay, I'm going to walk away now." Lacey nodded and turned to walk back toward the Greene home.

"They call me Dr. Love!" he called after her as if it were a known fact to all, catching a few glances from other around the camp. Lacey shook her head.

"No, they don't!" she called back and went into the house to check on Erin...

"Hey." Maggie greeted Lacey the instant her boots touched the wood floor, Lacey smiled at the girl and started for the room where Erin was still sleeping.

"She's awake." Maggie informed the blonde and Lacey stopped, "She asked for you, and I made her some breakfast. She's in the dining room."

Lacey looked at the farmer's daughter then hugged her, "If I could've ever had a sister, I wish it would've been you."

Maggie laughed, and tucked some hair behind her ear when Lacey pulled away from her. "Ya know, once I thought I could change Jo into a girl because I really wanted a little sister. When he was a baby I'd put him in dresses thinking that ought to do the trick. Obviously it didn't work and thankfully he doesn't remember any of that." Lacey rattled off that story quickly and casually, Maggie shook her head, trying not to laugh, but failed. The two women walked into the dining room where Erin was sat, a plate scraped clean and a glass with just about an inch of orange juice left in it.

"Hi." she smiled at the women, though her eyes stayed firmly on Lacey.

"Hello." Lacey grinned and walked over to rest the back of her hand against Erin's forehead, she pulled it away and gave a short laugh, "You feel fine. Slept and sweat it all out. How do you feel?"

"Better." Erin nodded and finished off the rest of the orange juice.

"Good." Lacey sighed, "Now all we've got to do is keep a water bottle full and strapped to you at all times... stay around shady areas."

Maggie took the dirty dishes away and Lacey took the cot from Daryl's old room and she and Erin left the home and entered the camp. She put Erin in Dale's care before going out in search of Rick.

"Lacey! I was just goin' to look for you. We're assigning grids, heard Erin was better and you got Daryl settled in his tent. You in for searchin'?" Rick said as he approached the blonde.

She nodded, "I was just going to ask you about that."

"Alright. I'm gonna pair you with Ben. He's been goin' alone, but after seein' what happened to Daryl goin' alone, I think we should really stick to stayin' in pairs."

Lacey visibly deflated, and Rick raised an eyebrow, "Is that alright?"

She knew Robert would've told Ben what's been going on. Truth be told Ben actually liked Keenan, so there was no doubt in her mind that once they started their search together he'd start up, probably guilt her and demand she stop seeing Daryl. She sighed and waved Rick off, "It's fine. Hopefully we'll find Sophia today. She's been gone way too long."

Rick nodded, "Agreed. Make sure to come back before sundown."

Lacey started off toward where she saw Ben, he was talking to Shane, no surprise there. She nearly expected them to be sharing a tent by now, finishing each other's sentences, borrowing clothes. She almost laughed at her own thoughts, but kept quiet and straight faced when she approached the men.

"I'm paired up with you. Whenever you're ready..." she said, looking up to Ben and trying to avoid any eye contact with Shane. They hadn't spoken to each other since she pulled Robert's shot gun on him on the Greene's porch. But there was a notable amount of regret combined with anger when he saw that she was right about Erin. She even passed a glance to the RV where she saw Dale and Erin on the roof, chatting. When she turned back she saw Shane had followed her gaze and a deeper frown was set on his mouth.  
>Their eyes met, for a moment, a flicker of triumph, a flicker of a challenge, hands had moved toward their weapons, subconciously of course, as if just resting there, but if provoked... the underlying message was clear. They were an equal match for each other. He was good with a gun, she was great with a sword, but if it should ever come down it, her blade would be quicker than his bullet.<br>"Yeah. Just give me another minute and we'll head out." Ben nodded and turned back to Shane, who was passing one last glance over Lacey.

The small blonde walked off, a bit of a smug boost in her step.

The _'just another minute'_ from Ben turned into a good ten minutes, during which Lacey brought Honey and Erin into Daryl's tent for a little visit, and Erin promised she would take care of Daryl while Lacey was gone. Daryl would blame it on the heat, but Lacey was positive she saw a blush rise in his cheeks when the 6 year old had said that.

Honey was practicing her new word when Amy popped her head into the tent, "Hey, Ben's ready."

Lacey nodded to her before leaning over Honey to kiss Daryl's cheek. She picked up the baby and smiled to the injured man, "See ya later."

He nodded, "Be careful."

Lacey laughed as she exited the tent, "_Please_, 'careful' is my middle name."

"I thought it was _'danger'_." Jo said with a grin.

"I'm pretty sure it's James." Robert said, but then with a look of confusion added, "Why is that your middle name anyway?"

Lacey rolled her eyes, "_Because_. Mom said there weren't any respectable women in our family to name me after so she went with great granddad's name... And she said it had a better ring to it than Lacey Alexandra Joanna Black."

"So is _that_ why you're so butch?" Jo wondered and jumped away when Lacey's clenched fist came rocketing toward him. "Fuck you." she laughed.

"Alright. Let's go. We're all wasting time." Ben's voice called over the laughter.

Lacey went to pass Honey to Amy but the blonde shook her head, "I'm helping search today. Going with Andrea and T-Dog. I think she likes Lori better anyway." she smiled.

Lacey was glad to see Amy getting out there and joining in the effort, maybe she could make up for her sister's air headed actions...

The walk into their grid was a quiet one, it wasn't until they reached the very end of their grid that Lacey wondered aloud if they should keep going a little further that Ben finally spoke.

"I don't care." he said.

"Well, it's not that simple, it's _'yes we should'_ or _'no we shouldn't'_, _'I don't care'_ isn't really giving me much of an answer." Lacey mummbled irritably.

"No, I mean," Ben paused when she turned to actually look at him as opposed to scoping out the area ahead that they might continue to search through, "I don't care about what you do... about Keenan... I heard about the voicemail..."

Lacey remained quiet, unsure of what to say. Whenever they fought she was a step ahead with the next blow, but this... this seemed sincere and he wasn't telling her what to do or how to be or anything. He said he didn't care...

"Robbie told me... And I _was_ going to give you a lesson about morality and promises," he continued, and Lacey rolled her eyes '_Knew it.'_

"Hey, don't roll your eyes. I said I _**was**_ going to give you that lesson, but then yesterday... I saw the way you reacted... To Daryl... When he was hurt... And the way you freaked out when Erin was sick. And the way you saved her and decided to mother her like you do Honey... I realized," he paused to chuckle, "Keenan doesn't rank anywhere near where they do. He never really did... And the way you are with Daryl. It's nothing fake... And uh... he's a good guy. So... whoever you choose I won't be upset or make you feel crappy about it..."

Lacey smiled, looking up at him she thought about of the three of her brothers and he looked like their father they very most, especially with the generous amount of facial hair he was sporting and was neglecting to shave.

"I chose Daryl."

Ben nodded, "Alright... Good." and put on a smile, a geniune one, something she hadn't witnessed in months.

"Cool." Lacey smiled too, "So we'll go a little further?"

Ben looked up, through the heavy tree branches and leaves, he gave a shrug, "Why not. We still have some day light."

"So..." he said as they continued on, "say if Keenan _did_ show up. You'd still stick with Daryl?"

"Yep. You know me, I'm an honest woman in relationships. Never cheated. Didn't sex guys on first dates and what not. Unlike _some_ people I know who gave it out like free samples." she grinned.

"Shut up. That was a long time ago." Ben nudged her with his elbow.

"Yeah it was... Think you'd ever get back together with one of the many women of Benjamin Black's Bang Book?"

"If I remembered their names?..." he paused, "No."

The two siblings laughed.

"Alright, I have one more question about Keenan then I'll drop it. How did you go from an Irish New Yorker to a Southern bred hick?" Ben wondered out of true curiousity.

"It's not an exact science, Ben." she snorted, "Daryl's qualities just outweigh Keenan's... And if we want to get bedroom personal, there is at least a good 2 inch differ-"

"Ahh! God, no! Stop! Stop it!" Ben covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block it all out.

"What! You asked!" Lacey laughed.

"Yeah! But I don't want to know _that_. Fuck's sake, Lace, you're my little sister. I _never_ want to hear about that, or hear _it_, at all, ever... Ew."

"Funny. Coming from the guy who never took his siblings innocence or sleep into consideration when his pick up of the night was faking her way through a screaming orgasm."

"I-... wait... how do you know they were faking?"

"Brother, please." she shook her head with a chuckle.

"Ya know what, never mind. I don't want to know." he shivered in disgust.

"That's what I thought."

Another moment of brief silence came between the two as they both searched with sharp eyes and ears.

"So, um..." Lacey started, she'd been thinking about what Ben said, '_you're my little sister._' But all the time she'd been pairing him off with Shane, him being on Shane's side through everything, he'd hardly acknowledged any of them over the past couple of weeks, leading them to believe he'd changed sides, and families.

Lacey cleared her throat before she spoke, "I was wondering. Uh, Shane and I haven't really been on the same page as of late... and uhm,"

"Your side."

She turned her head to look at him, "What?"

"I'm on your side. He's my friend, he's a police officer. He's a good ally to have in these fucked up times... but you're my sister. You're my family. And when he gave the idea that we had to kill Erin just because she had a fever, that was..." Ben shook his head, his brow knitted together, "That was wrong. And I'm sorry I didn't step up to help you, but... you didn't seem like you needed any help. You were handling yourself so well... You're a leader, Lace. And I'm just a follower... But I'll always follow you. I love you, Lacey. Don't ever question that... Don't ever forget that."

Lacey smiled a watery smile, "I love you too." she put her arms around her brother and hugged him, something she hadn't done in a very long time, maybe not since they were kids. Twice today she'd had a meaningful talk with two of her brothers. She half expected JoJo to have some speech prepared by the time they got back to camp.

"Alright." Ben pulled away first, patting her on the back once before he surveyed the area they had wandered into.

"Say we head back now?"

"Yeah... I guess... Lemme just give a shout first."

Lacey took a deep breath before belting out Sophia's name, she'd wait a couple of seconds before she'd do it again, and again. When no response came, or the sound of someone running toward them, just birds squawking and flying off at the loud, abrupt and unwanted shouting coming from the small girl, they started back.

"This way." Ben snorted when Lacey stepped the wrong way.

"Oh." she shook her head, glad that she was with someone who knew direction well, unlike her. She passed a last lingering glance over the area, but then stopped, and squinted, she hoped her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"I think that's a building over there. A house, a shop, something."

"What?" Ben looked to where she was, his eyes widening slightly, "Should we take a look?"

Lacey looked up, the sun was making its descending arc across the sky, and if Sophia was in that building she would've heard her shouting her name.

"No, let's go back. Tell Rick and see what he wants us to do."

If the town was abandoned they could probably live in it, if it was full of walkers, which was doubtful since they would've heard Lacey's shouts and come after them, they'd clear it out and live in it, either way they might have found something that could work as a place to settle down if Hershel did stay true to his word about their staying only being temporary.

Things, however minor they might be, were starting to look the slightest bit up.

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><p><em>AN: Hopefully I tricked a few of you with that chapter title, huh? Anyone? :D_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Walking Dead.**


	39. 19 point 5

I've always been tough on Lacey, I know this. I make sure of it. But it's not like I do it to be a jerk or something. I do it to protect her. I mean, she's the only girl, and she's the smallest, I don't want to it to sound like she's helpless or anything, 'cause she's not. She definitely knows how to defend herself, but still, I can't help that big brother instinct to keep her safe, even Robbie and JoJo too. I mean, as the oldest kid you're suppose to be the protector, right?

I was sort of checked out of that position, after mom and dad died I sort of shut down and just let the adults move us around do what was best for us. Even through high school I was a total douchebag and didn't care about my siblings, at least I'm lucky enough to not remember most of that...

But Lacey's always been the fighter, always been the loud mouth (loud_er_ mouth sometimes), always the thinker, always the protector. She filled in where I neglected to be. She knew right and wrong and how to lead, but I, when I finally came back to life, and (tried to) take my role as leader she only fought harder. But you've got to understand... I'm only trying to protect her...

She was Dad's favorite. His only daughter. His only blonde child. His perfect little princess. Innocent and sweet. And that's why I try to steer her away from things that might harm her, Dad would've wanted me to protect his princess.

I don't hate her or anything, I've never hated her. I love her. And I'm trying to save her...

But I guess she doesn't need saving... She's perfectly fine on her own. And she's even saved others along the way.

I suppose all I've got to do now is just stand behind her, and like when we were kids, follow the leader...

-_B.B._


	40. 20

**A/N: Sorry about the lack of regular updating. But school just is so damn demanding, ugh! But good news! The show is back tonight! And I watched it! And it's just... mind blowing. But, you know, that's just my take on it. And I know this will not match in excitement of the show but here is a new chapter anyway! A review or two would be cool.**

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><p><em>Like A Pirate... Or A Samurai... Something Like That<em>

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><p>"It was just beyond our grid. We went a little farther and saw the building, it might be a house or some kind of shop, and there might be more, but we couldn't see that much. But it seemed pretty big. And if we need to move out of here we can clear the place out and live there."<p>

"Not until we find out if it's livable or not."

Lacey, Ben, and Rick spoke quietly just beyond the fire. The two had come back just as the sun disappeared completely, they weren't even settled back in when they called on Rick to speak to him about their find.

"Alright," he nodded, "Okay... I'll send you two back tomorrow. Don't do anything like clear it out though. That's more than a two man job. Just sweep through, keep it quiet and come back."

The two siblings nodded and they all started back toward the camp, but Rick raised his hand up to stop them, another thought occuring to him, "Also, you might want to find a road that leads to it. For the cars and RV."

"Right." Lacey nodded and they continued toward the group. Carl had joined the land of the conscious and was talking with Erin, Honey was passed from Lori to Robert, and everything seemed fine.

_Seemed_. There were living dead creatures walking the earth in search of living bodies to feed off of, Sophia was still lost, and now that Carl was up and moving it was only a matter of time before Hershel told everyone to pick up and go. Which was an easy enough idea, aside from the fact that more than half of the group believed that this was their true salvation and it was permanent. Basically, if and when the time came, they weren't going to take it well.

"Anytime soon you plan on breaking the news to them?" Lacey wondered under her breath.

"I still have time, he can't just make us leave like that. He can't." Rick mummbled back took a seat next to his wife.

Lacey gave something between a nod and a shake of her head to his idea. Rick was a good, smart man, but she had a feeling that some kind of screaming match would occur between him and Hershel, and it would end very badly, maybe even by gunpoint, from either side, who's to know...

The blonde was about to make her way to Daryl's tent when she saw Lori, her eyes held some kind of message, Lacey wasn't too sure what she was trying to say, but she knew they'd have to take some time away and talk. She gave the woman a nonchalant nod and continued to Daryl's tent.

She withheld a smirk at the sight of his furrowed brow and concentrated eyes directed at a book. She doubted he was actually reading, considering most books didn't cause that much concern or concentration, especially in a world such as the one they were living in. She assumed he was pissed about his immobility, and not being part of the effort.

Through the lantern's light she saw he was glaring at page 12 of the book, and she wondered how long that page had had to endure his unkind stare.

"Hey, Grumpy." she greeted casually and moved further into the tent. She recieved a grunt in return.

"Wha'cha reading?" she asked, curiousity getting the best of her, wondering if he actually had read the first 11 pages before he decided to stop at page 12 and fume quietly. She started to pull the gauze away from his head, unrolling and rolling it back up as it came away his head.

"Fuck if I know! Andrea gave me this piece of shit just before she left to go searchin' for the girl."

"Wow. You've been glaring at that page for most of the day?" Lacey snorted and put the rolled up gauze away and starting to gently poke around the stitched up wounds on his head.

He didn't make a sound or flinch when she did this, so she assumed they were healing well, and quickly. She sat back with a sigh and nodded to the screen that now sported more than a dozen holes, "See you decided to make some creative changes to your healing environment."

Daryl tossed the book away and crossed his arms, turning his glare to her now, but she didn't give the slightest bit of fear or concern, she just stared back and stayed silent. For minutes they stayed like that until Daryl finally bursted, "How long am I gonna have to sit in here like this? I'm a fast healer. And I fuckin' hate small spaces."

Lacey's face broke into a smirk, "Do you know how many boys with broken bones have given me that? Teenagers doing some death defying stunt, then they turn up into the ER with half of their bone sticking out of the their arm or leg and the instant we get everything sorted back to how it should be they're begging me to sign their release form. And you wouldn't believe the offers and favors they tried to push on me." she laughed, "Teenagers. Hard to believe I was one once."

"I ain't some teen with a skateboard. I'm a grown goddamn man."

"And a grown goddamn man should know better. I know this is hard for you, but you need to just relax. You're hurt and you need to heal." she scolded him like she did to the boys at the hospital and he shut up, but that glare was on his features again.

She rolled her eyes and her face into her hands, "Alright. How 'bout tomorrow I check on your side, I let you walk around, and if _I_ think you're doing alright I'll let you come with me and Ben. Okay?"

"Deal." he answered quickly, "Now about those offers and favors them boys tried to give ya, ever take any?" he asked with a grin.

"Hell no! They wouldn't know what to do with it if I _did_ agree." her nose scrunched in disgust as she remembered the acne faced boys with long greasy unkempt hair. She shuddered.

"What about me?"

"What about you?" Lacey rolled her eyes and sat back, hugging her legs into her chest with her arms.

"Would it increase my likeli-ness of escapin' this forsaken tent tomorrow if I made you an offer?" he raised his brow before glancing down between them. For some reason Lacey felt weird... not uncomfortable so much as just confused. Daryl was acting... funny. Loopy. She blamed it on the blood loss and painkillers.

She followed his gaze with a disinterested attitude but jumped slightly a second later, "Good god, have you had that there the whole time? Even when I was scolding you? Is this connected to some childhood trauma? Something you can't remember, something about Merle, probably."

"Shut up." his brow furrowed again but softened a moment later when he reached out to her, putting his hand on her arm entrapping her legs. "It's the lighting, I couldn't help m'self."

"Yeah. Well, that's what you're gonna have to do. Help yourself." she recoiled from his touch and moved toward the exit.

"Oh c'mon. What harm's it gonna do?" he reached a little further and withheld a wince when he sat up and irritated the wound in his side.

"Lots. Has anyone brought you dinner?" Lacey, just as good at ending arguments, was good at evading them.

"Amy and Erin did. Stop tryin' to change the subject."

She huffed a sigh, her shoulders slumping as she fought to not raise her voice, she realized she always seemed to resort to shouting. Something probably developed over time when fighting with Ben. She spoke in a steady tone, "I'm not fucking you the day after you ran yourself through with your own arrow."

"Darlin'."

"No. Don't 'd_arlin'_' me."

"It's not a big de-"

"No, Daryl." she stated firmly in that strict tone that reminded her of her mother. Her mother was the strict one, not constantly of course, just when everyone was completely out of line. That tone always shut them up and everyone agreed to her terms. Further attempts at convincing ceased.

But then in the silence she thought about it. It'd been a while, they'd both undergone a lot of stress in the past week. And he _did_ survive two large tumbles, an arrow through the side, hallcinations, two walkers, a bleeding struggle back to the farm and a gun shot graze to the head... She supposed so could do _something_ for him... She sighed heavily, can't believing her own mind had convinced her into doing this even after all the denying she'd just done.

"I've only done this a couple times. It's not something I do for everybody, so considered yourself warned and lucky." Lacey explained as she reached for the button on his pants.

"What're ya talkin' about?" he asked, adjusting to sit up a little higher from his reclined position. She undid the button and took the zipper down, but then jumped.

"Don't want anyone walking in on this." she mummbled and zipped up the tent flap.

"So we're gonna..." he trailed off in question as she turned the light on the lantern down slightly.

"Something like it." she breathed pushed his legs apart to sit between them.

"What're y-"

"Don't act like you've never had this before." she scoffed with a laugh. And in the next miliseconds all he could do was just watch, still slightly confused until it all came together and he let out a heavy shuddering breath he didn't know he'd been holding...

Lacey chuckled to herself when she came back from having dinner around the fire to see Daryl completely knocked out. She closed up his tent from the outside and walked to hers to find a similar setting. Erin and Honey were fast asleep on the cot. From outside she could hear everyone exchange 'goodnights' and some light snoring.

It was a calm night and just as Lacey was about to slip off into sleep there was a scuffling and sniffing at the enterance of her tent. She sat up and unzipped it to see a sheepish Blondie. Lacey smiled, "Miss me?" and let the dog into the tent before zipping it up again. The night was peaceful, as if they were merely camping and all their lives weren't endangered at all...

"Oh, my _**god**_! Please tell me you didn't say that to anyone else." Lacey covered her enflamed face and Daryl just laughed.

"Nah, I didn't tell anyone. But really, that mouth a'yours... _magic_."

Lacey glared at him before she walked away from the still chuckling Daryl, "Fuck you."

"I'm pretty sure you already did... in a way." he grinned.

Lacey growled under her breath. Daryl was up, he was walking and he was back into his smartass attitude. She'd already recieved the all clear from Rick about Daryl joining her and Ben, but now she was regretting it. The bastard was so smug that she almost wanted to sock him right in his arrow wound... But she did enjoy seeing him smiling again. It was a rarity, but whenever he did smile, there was a flutter in her heart, and then she'd roll her eyes at how stupid and girly she was being.

"Ready Ben?" Lacey asked as she passed him and continued to Rick.

"Whenever you are." Ben answered and stood up, gun slung around his shoulder and a pick axe from the Greene's in his grasp.

"Everything settled?" she directed the question to Rick, what they were doing was secret, so he just gave a nod, "Yep."

"Alright. Going to go the way we did yesterday then find a road. Be back before sun down, or maybe even earlier than that."

"Be careful." Rick warned her.

"Always." she laughed.

Lacey gave her 'see you soon's' to those staying in camp and walked on toward Daryl who looked as he normally did, as if he wasn't injured at all except for the two nicks on his head.

"You better keep your trap shut about that shit or I will... do... something." Lacey winced when she couldn't even come up with a good threat, she was totally off her game and it was all Daryl's perky fault.

"I was expectin' somethin' better than that, but I guess the fear of not knowin' what you'd do is threatenin' enough." he smirked.

"Smug bastard."

...

"So you guys found this place and didn't think to actually check it out?" Daryl asked, he was back to his old self, that was for sure.

Lacey glanced and Ben and they shared an eye roll. He was the _wise_ hunter from the country and they were just simple minded city folk.

"We were losing day light, there was no way we could navigate these woods in the dark." Ben explained.

Daryl, who'd taken it upon himself to lead the way, even though he didn't actually know the way, grumbled under his breath something that sounded like, "...can navigate a damn city but some trees, god help ya..."

Lacey rolled her eyes again, leave it to Daryl to make anyone feel like they're doing everything wrong.

"Listen _genius_, just 'cause you're the mountain man doesn't mean you're the boss... and you're going the wrong way." she chuckled under her breath. Daryl sent her a glare before walking along side her.

He caught sight of her long blade, sheathed and swinging against her leg with each step she took, "Use that thing yet?" he wondered.

"Nope, but I'll be fine. Don't worry about li'l ol' me." Lacey smirked and looked forward, if she remembered right they were getting close, she searched for the building beyond the trees.

"She's well trained, she won't have any trouble." Ben added and Lacey snorted, "And you thought fencing was dumb."

"There it is. Now we have to find the road that leads to it." she spotted it.

...

"Well it's obviously more than just a house." Ben noted when they found the dirt road and walked into the town.

They all felt a little defeated at the sight of the charred remains of what was a small town, smaller than the town Maggie and Glenn had gone to go to the pharmacy. Couldn't have housed more than 100 people. But it was completely abandoned. It was basically skeletons of old shops and homes, broken windows, some without doors, some just debris and ash.

"Well there goes the idea of living here." Lacey sighed and looked at her company, "We could still search for stuff, if there's anything left."

Ben shrugged, "Why not."

The next couple of hours were spent searching every inch of the remains of the town. The three came up with a few handfuls of loose bullets for a hand guns and shot guns, some shot glasses, a carton of cigarettes, and something Lacey was very glad to have found, a hefty hidden stash of booze. Hard A.

"Of course you found that." Ben laughed, "Bet you sniffed it out."

"Shut up. It was in the _bar_ and I figure we could all use a good drink."

Daryl chuckled, "Bullets, booze and smokes. Say we leave this place an' keep searchin' 'til a little after noon then head back."

"If you can handle it." Lacey nodded.

He rolled his eyes and she smiled, "Oh that's right. You can handle _anything_."

"Exactly, and I-" he stopped short, he heard something, and they all heard it when he stopped talking. Screaming. Daryl brought his crossbow up, taking aim in the direction of where the sound was coming, and coming closer with each second.

Lacey put a hand on his arm, "Walkers don't scream."

"People do... when they're being pursued." Ben raised the pick axe and Lacey unsheathed her blade and moved forward, figures among the trees were starting to materialise and become clearer, the screams were becoming louder.

"Don't do anything unless it looks like I'm losing." she gripped the handle of her knife and pulled it out as well, her fingers wiggled until they found comfortable grips and she steeled her nerves. But all the badass build up was quickly torn down when those screaming figures broke through the tree line and caught sight of her and ran straight to her.

"Help us! Help! Please!" the tallest of them screeched. There were five of them, children, all children, filthy, skinny and scared. The tallest was a girl, sun tanned skin and dark hair, she was probably a few inches shorter than Lacey, she appeared the be the oldest and the leader of this little group. There was another girl, short brown hair, pale skin and light freckles, two boys, they looked to be twins, blonde hair, brown eyes, and then the smallest, another girl, black hair, brown eyes, gorgeous mocha colored skin, she had to be some part Native American. They each clung on to her. Lacey probably being the first female adult figure they'd come in contact with in quite some time. Her brow scrunched, she wasn't used to this many children, or this much attention, or the air being squeezed from her lungs from fear stricken beings.

"Alright, alright!" she said and tried to nudge them off, there was another rustling in the trees from where they'd just emerged, walkers, three of them.

Lacey's eyes widened, all these kids stuck onto her, the walkers probably saw this display as a buffet.

"Go. Get behind me, get!" she urged them and they squealed at the sound of the walkers growing closer.

"Stay back." Lacey warned the kids as she made sure all of them had retreated to where Ben and Daryl stood a good distance away. She readjusted her grip on her blades and started for the closest walker, Daryl taking aim at the one farthest away. Ben stood back, acting as a shield for the children, just in case. Lacey swung her sword, taking the walkers head off with a single slice. She kicked its still standing body to the ground before she took her knife and jammed it into the walkers eye, destroying the brain. Standing up she saw a walker closest to the forest edge was down, with an arrow in its forehead. The next one was coming up quick, but she took time into consideration and decided to take a step and spin, gaining a little momentum just as the walker reached her, she sliced it through the middle, right below it's torso. The thing fell into two pieces on the ground with a sickening sound and she shoved her sword through its skull. She found her breath was a little heavy and looked to her audience as she swiped some fallen hair back into place.

Lacey tore a some what clean piece of clothe from the walkers motionless body and wiped her blades cleaned before sheathing them. Ben let out a low whistle and a clap and she gave a dramatic bow. "Fencing is definitely **not**dumb. But I'm guessing that's the pirate in you... or the samurai. Whatever." he mummbled as he stepped aside when she approached. She shook her head with a short laugh.

"Alright," she breathed and stood in front of the children who seemed a little less scared, but a lot more intimidated by her than they were before. The woman they'd sought out for protection and comfort was indeed protective but extrememly deadly. "We have a camp a few miles away, that's where we're going to go now, _but_ while we're walking, one of you needs to tell us who you are and where you came from before this." she said and gestured behind her to the walker corpses. Looking at each of them she noticed that they all looked different and not one of them could possibly be related to other aside from the twins. They were just a rag tag group of children... _children_.

They were all quiet, and they diverted their eyes from making any contact with the adults.

But then the oldest girl looked up and right into Lacey's eyes. And just from that look alone Lacey could tell their story was going to be something close to heart wrenching. But then again, that was a common trait in most stories these days. Lacey warned herself to stay strong. Not only for herself but for these kids.

"What happened?"

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>


	41. 20 point 5

_**After our parents died... that's when the survival started for us. **_

**That's when Ben became something of our leader, Robert became the caregiver, Jo became the expert, and I became the protector. **

_**We each have our roles, and we each serve them well.**_

_We survive because we have to, not by choice._

**I suppose that's why picking up and leaving was so easy when **_**it**_** started. We were trained and conditioned that way**.

_We knew what we were doing. And we knew our parts in how we survive. With or without adult supervision or aide._

_But then they attacked, it was the first time we ever saw one upclose. But it was more than one. Five, seven, ten? I wasn't sure. I didn't waste any time to stop and count. We didn't know what these monsters were, we only knew it was essential to avoid them at all costs. I saw them... I saw them bite. I saw the blood. The screams and the fear. _

_I called out, telling them to follow me. We had to get out of here, and fast. I started into the trees, hoping they'd heard me. We needed to make some distance between us and those monsters. I tried to ignore the screams, just block them out and run. They were lost now. They were gone. I ran hard and fast and took the chance of looking back. I had followers, which was good, but we had followers of a different sort too. "Run! Keep running!" I encouraged them. They screamed but they kept on. I kept my eyes forward, we needed to lose our unwanted company, we needed a new hide out. _

_There! Beyond the trees! It looked like a house or something._

_That's when I saw her. And two other men, but I saw her first. She carried two blades in her hands, she looked fierce but sweet. She was the first adult, actual woman, I'd, we'd, seen in months. I called out to her, begging for her help. My body moved without any thought and I hugged my arms around her, all of us did. She was like some sort of angel that came out of no where, just when we needed her._

_She shooed us away when those monsters came through the trees moments after us, and that's when she went to work with those blades. She was amazing. Totally lethal. She was... she's... so cool. A fatal angel._

_-_**L.B. **_/ Leader of the Children_


	42. 21

**A/N: For those who were confused about the last .5 chapter, Lacey was speaking/thinking in bold, **_The Leader of the Children, whose name we've yet to find out (Sam), was speaking/thinking in italics_**, and lines of thought they shared were in **_**bold and italics**_**. I don't know if that clears up any confusion, or if it was already simple to understand, but either way it's explained now. So, this one is short and sort of slow going, but the next two will be going quickly, so look forward to that. Thanks for the reviews!**

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><p><em>Welcome<em>

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><p>The girl. The oldest of the bunch, probably the leader, told Lacey their names before telling anything else. Her name, Sam. The pale girl with the freckles, Sarah, the other little girl with the nearly black hair, Rachel. The twin boys were Randy and Billy. She explained their ages too, something she obviously thought was important information, she was 14, Sarah, 8, Rachel, 4, the twins, 5. Lacey internally winced, they were all so young and, clearly, all on their own. But they'd come this far, which was quite impressive, but then the story finally came out.<p>

"Those people, the... dead ones, I guess. The one that came back to life. They came after us. And we got away but they got some of the others, and," Sam spoke and paused to moisten her chapped lips, she shook her head as she recalled in her mind, Lacey recognized that look, it was like she was trying to shake the thoughts away, but they were bright, vibrant and flashing in front of her eyes right then. She was tryin to fight away the reality. She put her hand on Sam's shoulder, "It's alright," she assured her, all of them, "You're safe now."

Sam nodded and continued "There were 3 other girls, and 4 boys. A girl named Julie, she was taking care of us, kind of like our leader, she was 17, but...but I think-... they got her first...she was the first one we heard scream, that's when...that's when we, um, w-we-"  
>"Alright." Lacey shushed her, "That's okay. You don't have to tell us anymore." she put her arm around the girls shoulder as she turned to her brother and Daryl, a look that said 'We <em>aren't<em> leaving them', though neither man had the slightest idea of doing that at all.

"Let's head to the camp. Maybe each of you could say something about yourself." Lacey suggested as pulled out her canteen for the kids to pass around.

"What's your name?" Sarah wondered as she wiped her mouth and passed the canteen to Rachel.

Lacey raised a brow, but then realised she hadn't introduced herself like she believed she already had, "Oh! Sorry. I'm Lacey. That's my brother, Ben, and that's Daryl."

Ben gave a wave while Daryl just gave a sort of scowl before looking toward the road, toward the trees, anywhere that wasn't where those damn kids stood gawking at him.

"That's a pretty name. Lacey." Rachel said, passing the canteen back up to Lacey after it had made its round, she took it from the girl and smiled, the twins gave matching nods in agreement and Lacey fought a laugh, "Thanks... So, um, let's head back. Alright?"

Ben offered himself up as transport to the smaller kids, Randy and Billy jumped at the offer and switched from sitting a top the tall man's shoulders to walking along side him with their small hand encased in Ben's enormous ones. Lacey carried Rachel, and Sarah and Sam walked close to her. Daryl stayed a few feet behind, either the pain in his side was finally getting to him, or he was feeling uncomfortable being outnumbered by children... or he just wanted to protect from behind. All these options went through Lacey's head as Sam spoke about how she came to find her companions and how they had all found Julie and her gang.

Sam had become classified as the talker, the twins were 'Daddy's boys' and loved the company and entertainment Ben gave them and Rachel and Sarah were the quiet sweethearts, very relatable to Sophia.

Lacey's expression softened and soured as she remembered they were on a mission to find a lost girl and found 5 other lost kids along the way. She stopped Sam with a question, wondering if they ever saw a girl of Sophia's description, but her hopes were crushed when Sam shook her head with a 'sorry'. Lacey said it was fine, and encouraged her to continue with her story. And the closer they drew to the Greene farm the more Lacey though about how Sam's group was only made of kids. There wasn't one person older than 18. Which led her to believe that if just a group of kids could survive then Sophia could still be out there, holding her own, surviving like they had... and there had to be more survivors out there.

When they approached the farm from the gate they could hear the dogs barking. Blondie and Rocket came running toward them, aware of the people they knew, but confused and excited about the new comers they brought along.

Rocket sniffed at the boys before moving onto Rachel and Sarah, completely bypassing Sam. Blondie though, she took notice of Sam first. Sniffing her for a good while before she moved her snout underneath Sam's hand in search of a pet. Sam chuckled before giving into the dog's request and patting her head. "Are these your dogs?" Randy asked as he and Billy hugged around Rocket's neck. The former police dog sat submissively, accepting the smothering attention from the toddlers obeidiently.

"Yep. Blondie and Rocket. There's another one, he's called Blue, wanna meet him?" Ben explained with a grin.

Lacey scoffed, "They're gonna meet more than just an old English sheep dog."

The sky was taking on a pinkish tone and judging by the population littered around the front of the Greene home they were the last group to return.

They walked closer and closer to the camp until finally someone acknowledged them, JoJo. He waved and hollered with his hands cupped around his mouth, "Yo! Whadidya get!"

"Kids! Lacey's a god damn kid magnet! Walking orphange!" Ben called back with a laugh, they could hear Jo's cackling, "I _told_ you she'd catch something from Daryl! Who knew it would be kids though!"

Lacey glared at Ben and glanced at Daryl who was doing the same, before she broke and let out a laugh.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Sarah asked quietly as she glanced between Lacey and Daryl.

Lacey snorted, knowing she could never ever refer to Daryl as her _boyfriend_, that just wasn't a title he could sport. Lover, companion, beau? No, none of those worked with Daryl... Partner? That seemed more suitable. They _were_ partners, working as a team most of the time... yeah. But she just gave a shrug, keeping it simple for the girl she nodded, "Yeah."

Sarah giggled, "He's kinda pretty."

Lacey snorted loudly and covered her mouth and nose with her hand quickly, "Careful, he might hear you. He's not too keen about being called pretty or anything of the sort."

Sarah nodded and laughed.

A sort of welcoming party was created for the kids. Sam, Rachel, Sarah, Billy and Randy were integrated into the group and camp, though some weren't too accepting of the idea of more mouths to feed and bodies to protect. Lacey, as always, took full responsibility over the children, her brothers aiding as well, adding five more kids to their clan. Rick thought she was admirable and those that opposed her actions were just anxious about adding more kids to the group when they were still missing one.

Erin was a little shy at first, but she opened up quickly to Sarah and took a liking to the boys and Rachel shortly after.

A thought sparked in Lacey's head as she remembered what else they had salvaged from that run down town the others didn't know about. A little social lubricant. Alcohol.

Ease fell over the survivors, jokes, laughter, smiles. Lacey sat reclined, well, more like slouched very, very low, in a lawn chair between Daryl and Jo.

Ben sat crowded and dead legged in his chair two away from her, with both Randy and Billy asleep in his lap, heads leaned against his chest. Robert's lap was empty, but earlier it had contained Erin and Sarah, the two girls had hit it off well and both had turned in a while back, followed closely by Rocket. Rachel had taken to Amy and was fighting a losing battle with sleep. Lacey's arms held a snoozing Honey and just leaning against a leg of her chair was Sam. Hands were definitely full now with the new kids, but it wasn't a weight they hated to carry.

Stories were exchanged, and it wasn't long until less words were said than slurs. Robert had just finished a tale about the last thing he killed that wasn't a walker was a mosquito in the break room of the grocery store he worked at. He complained about how that place was basically a zoo as well as a grocers, all kinds of animals and insects would wander in resulting in screams and Robert having to shoo the things away, with remorse of course. He feared for their little animal lives and almost every time would consider taking it home.

"Mom always said you were _so_ weird about certain things." Lacey spoke after the hum of laughter dulled and she dropped the whiskey bottle... or was it rum, she was in a sort of state where she wasn't quite sure what she was sipping at moments ago but she knew the story she was about to tell, she remembered it clearly and it almost brought premature giggles out of her, "Like-like with bugs, mainly spiders, you'd scream, smash it, flush it down the toilet, and then a minute later you'd be overcome with grief and regret. And you'd feel like total garbage for about a half hour until she could get you out of your funk with the promise of ice cream."

Laughter came around the group again and Lacey adjusted to sit up a little straighter in her seat, moving to cradle Honey instead of having the girl sprawled along her upper body like a makeshift human bed. Robert chuckled before getting serious and from across the fire he pointed an accusing finger at his sister.

"Yeah? Well, she was worried about _you_ and your _obsession_ with action heros. Remember the time you walked around claiming you changed your name to Lacey Jones, Indiana Jones's wife? Wild horses couldn't tear you away from the t.v. when Young Indy was on." he chuckled as he recalled the memory. The others laughed, whether it was from the story or just giddiness from being drunk.

Lacey mimicked his actions, pointing a finger back at him, "Hey! A girl can dream! And come on, it's Indiana Jones... **Come** _on_. How could you not? Right? Right? Someone back me up. The movies **and** the show. Good fucking lord." she put a hand to her forehead and faked a swoon.

"'_Oooh, Dr. Jones. I know there's a 40 year age gap between us, but love knows no bounds!_'" Robert mocked what was assumed to sound like a young Lacey.

"Movie Indy, yeah, probably 40 years, but t.v. Indy was only 14 years. I did the math! But still, _come __**on**_! Indiana Jones is a hunk, what ever age."

"Movie Indy is- that's like Dad. That's like one of Dad's _friends_. You're a sick woman, Lace. You're sick." Ben pointed out with a snort.

"Fuck _you_, dude." Lacey graciously ended her defense with that said and stood up. Most of the liquor was gone, just like the people who had taken part in drinking it. Everyone was giggly and exhausted. With a lot of stumbling and assistance everyone found their ways to their respectable sleeping places.

The new group of kids were arranged to sleep in Daryl's tent, and while Lacey was taking care of that Daryl was finding out the night watch schedule and when he'd take his shift. He would be going after JoJo and then Ben would be after him, that gave him a few hours to rest and possibly talk to Lacey. They hadn't really spoken since the new kids came running through those trees into that shell of a town. Honey and Erin were on thing, one thing he was fine with, but he thought with these new ones, with her taking each of them into her care, she might overwhelm herself. Sure, she was a good person for taking them in, there was no question in that, but the question was could she handle it. Just a few days ago she'd nearly lost her mind over Erin when she was sick, now she's got five more children to watch over who could fall ill at any minute sending her into hysterics again. She was a very capable woman, but there's a point where even the most capable of women can't handle anything more. A tipping point.

"Hey, Lace?" Daryl pushed aside the tent flap but found the inside bare, he moved on to the next logical place she would be, his tent that was set up a few away from hers. The entrance was still unzipped, and he peered in. In the moment he saw what lay in that tent he reconsidered all he had thought moments before. On the tent floor, scattered all around her were the children she saved. Honey, Erin, Billy, Randy, Sarah, Sam and Rachel. Each of the children had found a way to hold on to a piece of Lacey, some way or another. And even if Lacey was technically passed out drunk it was adorable. Maybe she **could** handle all of them. Daryl smirked smally, seeing that there was no way he'd be able to break that up, he zipped up the flap and walked back to Lacey's tent. He assumed he'd be alone for the night again but once he reached the entrance he found he wouldn't be, Rocket and Blondie looked at him hopefully. He rolled his eyes before nodding, "Alright, ladies. You can stay."

Though the night was considered celebratory for the finding and saving of five lost and lonely children it hadn't been their original goal to find them. Only one girl was on their agendas, on their find list, Sophia. The days were passing by quickly and there was still no sign of her aside from the doll Daryl found at the creek. Attitudes were becoming grim. Most held the same depressing thought. If they did find her she'd probably be a walker, and if she was a walker she'd need to be taken care of. No child should have to become such a monster.

An idea popped into many heads, there was no doubt they were all thinking it but afraid to say it. Sarah, the new girl, with her short brown hair, pale skin and freckles. The girl that slightly resembled the lost girl. They hated the idea and didn't want to speak it, but that girl could fill in as Sophia's replacement. It was a horrible thought, but they were truly, only thinking about Carol. Sophia is a large, large part of Carol's life, and the void that was left was probably even larger. The idea of using another girl as a replacement was dreadful... but if it worked... it worked.

And they all had to honest with themselves. Things weren't looking too bright. And contrary to the saying, 'things get worse before they get better', it seemed like a sick joke. This was the very worst, wasn't it? But there was no sign that the better was even close to reaching them.

This was their new world. Worse, followed by worse, followed by worse, followed by worse. There was no better, this was how they would live. With low expectations and funerals becoming a regularity.

But they'd put on their fake smiles, they'd give their words of hope. Because if they all just gave up, it would be the end. The end of the game. The true end of the world. And no matter what, Lacey would not let that tiny, glimmering spark of hope extinguish, not while she was still living.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>


	43. 21 point 5

More kids. More children. That's great. That's just great. More little ones to worry about. More anxiety, more stress on us, on me. More to feed, more to keep healthy. More to keep safe and protect when we can hardly do that as is with adults. More to console when the big, bad world gets to be too much for them. More to teach, more to teach about survival and weapons. Need more weapons, more food, more shelter...

More to search for when they get lost in the god damn woods.

It's great. No, really, it's fine. The smallest one is 4 years old? Fantastic.

I already have people to take care of. Lori and Carl's lives were in my hands and now all these people look to me for guidance... a little less since Rick came back around. Rick... I know the guy's my friend and all, but... technically he rose from the dead... doesn't that mean-

No! No. It's just these damn kids that Lacey brought in. They're the problem, they're ruining everyth- Messing with my head. Lori and Carl, that's all that matters. They're all that matter to me.

That dumb sword carrying blonde... those kids ar her problem. Not mine.

As if we didn't have enough troubles to begin with. Will this damn apocalypse never end?

-_S.W._


	44. 22

**A/N: So... yeah. I don't know. It's not so much filler-y as much as it is new information-y. Ya know? I don't know. But the next chapter is super long and super dramatic! Yay...? Thanks for the reviews! :)**

* * *

><p><em>Calm. The Fuck. Down.<em>

* * *

><p>"Late start?" Robert teased when Lacey managed to make her way to the fire pit after rolling out of the tent, waking up to find herself all alone. Her head throbbed slightly, but nothing a little aspirin couldn't fix.<p>

"Shut up." she groaned and looked around to see everyone had split off into their own developed routines. Carl, Erin and Sarah were with Lori, Rachel was with Jo, Honey was in Daryl's arms and Sam was seated next to him. Ben was with the boys on top of the roof of the RV with Dale. And it seemed that Lacey was the last to wake. Internally she felt like an idiot, but externally she just looked hung over... idiot.

"So," she said as she flopped heavily into an empty seat next to Daryl, "Who did I sleep with last night?" she asked and put her arms out when Honey started reaching for her. But a few moments after that question had left her she froze and thought about the wording... that didn't come out right.

"You know what I mean." she winced, half from her own idiocy, half from the sunlight streaming through branches to shine directly into her eyes. Her head throbbed a little more.

"All of us. The little ones wanted you to stay, so you did." Sam explained.

"Ah." Lacey nodded and looked to Daryl, "Sorry to leave you hangin'."

"Dogs kept me company. Loyal girls." he shrugged with a small smirk.

Lacey raised her brow and gladly accepted the plate Robert had dished up breakfast on for her, "Oh really, then? Hmm, maybe I'll just bunk with the kids all the time..."

"No, no, no. You don't have ta go that far." Daryl said quickly and touched his hand to hers, the one that was holding Honey. She balanced the plate of food on her knee and ate with her other hand. It was a feat that only a hung over Lacey could accomplish.

Once she finished her breakfast she thought she'd look into getting a few aspirin pills, figuring out the grid and then filling up water bottles and canteens before heading out for the search. But before any of that happened, in fact, before she'd just barely sat up from her seat Lori was next to her chair, squated beside her, "Can I talk to you, alone?" she whispered.

Lacey nodded and passed Honey off back to Daryl before standing and following Lori a good distance beyond the farm house and close to the where the animals were held.

"What's up?" Lacey asked, eversince that look two days ago she'd been wondering.

Lori paced a little, her hands fidgeting at her sides and touching her face, combing through her hair as she tried to word it properly in her head before she spoke it. Lacey was her best friend, sometimes she considered her to be her only friend. And these sorts of things, when you told your friends, were good things, things to be happy over and throw parties for. But this was a different world... and it was most likely considered a bad omen now.

"Woah. What is it? Just tell me, Lori. What's wrong?" Lacey put a hand on her friends shoulder to steady her, but a moment later she wished she'd been given time to prepare for what Lori finally said.

"I'm pregnant."

Lacey didn't speak for a moment, she just blinked before looking at Lori, "You're sure? I mean, we're all under a lot of stress and I'm sure none of the women have- I mean, maybe some spotting, but- I mean, are you sure? How do you know?"

"When Glenn and Maggie went to the pharmacy, I asked him to get a pregnancy test, and I took it. I took it just a few nights ago, and I'm pregnant. The test was positive, and I- I-" she took a deep breath, Lacey could see the tears forming in her eyes, she was close to a panic attack.

"Alright. Just breathe." Lacey tried to calm her, but this was definitely not a calm moment, not a calm time at all. In fact, she almost felt like she was about to panic as well.

"I sent him again, to the pharmacy. For morning after pills, and I took a bunch, but I- I couldn't do it. I mean- I couldn't, Lacey. I couldn't do it. And Rick knows and he knows about Shane."

"Wait, wait. What about Shane?"

Lori winced and kept her eyes closed when she said the next secret she'd kept from her closest (and only friend), "Before Rick came back. Before, when I thought he was dead. I..." she trailed off, those were all the words she needed for the blonde to pick up on what she saying.

"Ohh. Oh, Lori." Lacey couldn't even come up with a clear thought on what she felt about that. Shane was a total asshole, she knew that for sure. And Lori... well, Lori was lonely. She needed someone like Rick, and who else is more like Rick than Shane. Though now it seems like a false statement, Rick and Shane being the same sort of person. They were opposites... Good and... crazy...

"I don't know what I'm gonna do, Lace. I mean, a baby. A baby in this world. It's... it's a horrible idea. I mean, Honey, she's, she's fine and everything. She knows, she has that sense or something. But pregnant... Pregnancy, delivery, a new born... in this world..."

"No, no." Lacey put her arms around Lori when those built up tears finally fell, "No. It's alright. It's going to be fine, Lori. We'll get through this. We'll all get through this. I'll help you. Everything's going to be fine."

Lori sniffled as she held Lacey back, and nodded, "Thanks... I just. I needed to tell you. I felt like you needed to know."

Lacey nodded as they pulled away and she took her hands, "There's always the chance that, ya know, it might not make it... You know, with our diet and physical activities we get up to these days there's the chance that you might... miscarry."

Lori nodded, "I know. I just don't know what I'm hoping for..."

"Well, just relax. I'm going to see what the grid lay out is and get in on the search. Have you seen Rick?"

"He's somewhere around here. Probably talking to Hershel." Lori said and wiped away her tears. The two started walking back to the camp area.

There was an uncomfortable feel in the air, though they were best friends, secrets were shared and with the secrets came new stress. The air needed to be cleared, something cheery, something funny, anything. "So, uhh, Carl." Lacey smiled, "He's gonna have his hands full with all these girls now, huh?"

Lori laughed, "Yeah. He likes Erin a lot. And Sarah was a little shy at first, but they're all getting along... Oh, and you missed gun practice. Rob and Jo went, but, umm, you missed it."

"Well," Lacey shrugged with a chuckle, "I'm not good with hand guns, never was. And I think I'm doing alright when my sharp sticks. They're quieter anyway. You should've seen what I did yesterday. It was-" she paused seeing a pale tint taking over Lori's face, "Or maybe not." she laughed.

"But I think I missed it with good reason. I mean, now that I think about it. What if Ben and I had gone into that town the day we found it. We'd have found nothing of use, took what we could salvage and leave it behind. If we did that we wouldn't have been there the next day when they all ran in. And the kids, they would... they probably... they were so terrified, I can't even-"

"I know." Lori put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, "I know what you mean. It's a scary thought, but hey, they're here now. You saved them. They're safe."

"Yeah." Lacey nodded.

"Hey, um. Why did you go search out that town? I mean, if you knew Sophia wasn't there."

"Uhh." Lacey began but Rick walked over with a greeting and Lacey clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Rick! Good to see you, just in time. You have a grid for me? Just a general area will suffice, I should head out. Late start and all, didn't think I drank that much last night, but apparently..." she spoke quickly but not quickly enough to suggest she was uncomfortable or about to blab a secret. She was glad none of her brothers were around at the moment, they'd be able to see right through her, her '_gossip speech speed_' they'd call it.

"West. And make sure you take someone with you, maybe one of your dogs too." Rick said and Lacey nodded and made her retreat. She definitely did not want to be a part of a spouse's quarrel, especially when it came to the subject of being booted out of the safest place they've found in months. _Especially_ now that Lori's pregnant. It was an argument best kept between them.

"Ben! Staying, going?" she called up toward the RV roof.

"I think I'll stick around with the boys today."

"Alright. Daryl! Come on, let's go. Westward bound." her tone was elevating into that nervous tone of hers. She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, grabbing a couple water bottles she put them in her bag and started for the forest line toward the west.

"Lacey! Wait up!" Sam's voice called and the blonde turned to the smaller brunette with her brow raised in question. She was trying to get away from the awkward, away from it as far as she could.

"Can I come with you?" the girl wondered, her fingers twisting together in wonder and hope.

Lacey exhaled a sigh through her nose, "Not today. You need to learn how to defend yourself first. Though running is key, and you've got that down, sometimes-... _**most**_ times, you'll need a weapon and you'll need to know how to use it. Today just hang around, watch over the kids, find some clothes you can wear and wash the ones your wearing. Ya know, easy stuff. Alright?" she noticed the girls expression fall slighty, but she nodded.

"Listen," Lacey hoped to cheer her up, more than ever she felt like a parent. The times where you lie to a child just to keep their hopes up and keep them safe, "When I think you're ready, I promise I'll take you with me, okay?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded, "Alright."

"Good. I'll be back before sunset." she smiled and started for the trees again.

It took Daryl a good 20 minutes to catch up with Lacey after she'd just barely sprinted off into the trees. Almost making him fear they'd have two lost girls on their hands.

"Slow down, will ya? I'm an injured man, damn it." he called after her and she stopped, but there was no doubt that she was antsy. Her limbs fidgeted, her eyes searched and searched, but for what he couldn't be sure. But he noticed the watery sheen, she was fighting tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked, with geniune concern as opposed to the other times he asked he what was wrong with that obligatory annoyed tone.

A squeak came from her throat when she opened her mouth before she spilled out everything in a hardly interpretable rate of words per second, "Lori's pregnant. Hershel's going to make is hit the bricks any time now. We haven't found any other suitable place we could stay. And we still haven't found Sophia. If there is a god up there looking down at us he must be having the biggest laugh of his powerful stupid life." she tilted her head back and began to shout, "Think this's funny, do ya! It's just a big fucking joke! Isn't it! Well I think it's _hilarious_! Ha! Ha! Haaa!"

Daryl clamped a hand over her mouth, "Calm the fuck down, alright? Just... please."

She nodded and he removed his hand. They stood in silence for a moments before he scoffed a sort of laugh, "Lori's pregnant?...holy shit..."

"That was sort of like my reaction to it... except, ya know, Lori was spazzing so I had to calm _her_ down." Lacey sat against the trunk of a tree and sighed, "I don't want to say '_this is __**just**__ what we need_', but I mean... this really is the _very last_ thing we need. I guess the troop of kids wasn't the something we **really** needed either but... _**shit**_."

Daryl chewed on his thumb nail while he leaned against a tree opposite from where she was, "Actually, I've been wonderin'," he started slowly, and Lacey raised her head from her arms to look at him with a raised brow, "What?" she asked.

"Why ain't you pregnant? We've done it a few times. Nothin' wrong with me, somethin' wrong with you?"

Lacey sighed letting her face fall into her hands before putting her fingers through her hair, "How modest..." she mummbled and looked up at him again, "Birth control pills, after you've been taking them regularly for a while your body gets used to it and it takes a couple months or even a year for the body to get back to normal and- look, I don't have time to give you a lesson in pharmaceuticals." she stood up and brushed all clinging dirt away from her.

"So it's like...them pills are still in your system?" he concluded.

She nodded.

"For how long?"

She shook her head, "No idea."

"Shit, girl! What the hell are you trying to make me do? Are you tryin' to set yourself up for what Lori's got. You just freaked the fuck out but you're just a fuckin' hypocrite."

She scoffed, "Uh! Hello? Who _doesn't_ pull out when there's no condom?...Twice." But the instant that came out of her mouth her mind went into textbook mode. She felt like a total teenager trying to defend her stupid actions with stupid excuses. Even if they used the _oh-so-successful_ pull out method there was still the possibilty of conception. '_Shit!...Fuck!...No! No, no, no, no, no, n- please, for the love of-... please say the drugs aren't out of my system._'

"You could've said somethin'!"

"Yeah? Tell _you_, the damaged, lonely, virginal, huntsman, to get off and out of me and finish in the dirt? I don't even know where to begin with the scenarios that would come from that. You'd think you weren't good enough or you were making me sick. Some weird, low self esteem bullshit that would be all my fault. Wouldn't it?"

"No! And quit acting like you know exatly how I'd react, 'cause clearly you don't know me as well as you think!"

"Whatever." she rolled her eyes, "Let's just sweep this grid for Sophia and head back. I need to start teaching my kids how to defend themselves." Lacey grumbled and walked away shaking her head, her eyes searched and she kept a hand on the grip of her blade.

"Oh, so that's how it is now? _Your_kids. Fine, I don't give a shit either way."

Lacey stiffened for half of a second before turning and springing on him, he just barely flinched when his back was pressed into tree bark again and her finger was pointed in his face, "Don't lie! Don't _ever _lie to me like that!" she seethed.

"You care for those kids as much as I do. They're orphans, they're just like me and you, they've got no one looking after them except us, because no one else wants the burden. You care for them, I see it in your eyes, in the way you stand. And though you try and keep your tough guy facade up, I can see right through it. So don't fucking lie to me."

There was a moment of silence as he just stared at her, her finger had withdrawn from being centimeters from his face, but he'd seen it shaking, and he saw the tears building up in her eyes again. She stepped away from him and crossed her arms, more than likely to cease the shaking.

"Baby." he put his arms around her, grateful she didn't protest or push him away, but it was just that word, that little name with a slight question in it and she let loose. Her arms uncrossed and she circled them around his middle.

"I'm just scared... I used to be fearless, but with all these kids, I fear more and more everyday... just for them. No child should have to grow up in this world. I mean, Honey, she won't know anything different from this life. Walkers, the constant fear, surviving, this is going to be normal to her, her normal... And I just, I don't know, I feel like I'm not good enough for them."

"What do ya mean? You're a perfect mama to those kids, each of them found _you_, that's gotta mean somethin', somehow, right?"

She shook her head, before looking down, the top of her head against his chest as she intertwined her fingers and pulled them apart, much like Sam had done earlier.

An internal battle waged in her mind on whether she should tell him or not. It wasn't something she'd admitted to anyone before, but the battle was quick and she opened her mouth, "I never wanted kids." her voice was quiet, but he could just make out what she had said.

To say it was a shock to hear that confession was an understatement, he knew her as the most child friendly person he'd ever met, protective, fun, a good role model (most times)... But she never wanted kids...ever?

"What? How could you-"

"Look at me, Daryl." she turned her gaze up, "I grew up with 3 brothers, jumping from foster home to foster home, from New York to Georgia. All our lives we've been trying to survive and protect each other. All because our parents were taken away from us." she paused and sighed, fighting to keep that weeping tone away from her voice, "I didn't want kids because I was afraid I'd be taken away from them too. They'd be left alone and have to struggle through life like we did. I hated the idea of leaving them, alone, sad and scared. I didn't want that for them... So, I planned to just marry, no family, maybe some pets, but no children."

Daryl kept quiet for a moment, understanding where she came from, deep in the back of his mind he never wanted a kid of his own either, he was afraid he'd turn into something like his father, and he **never**wanted to become that sort of man.

"I'm scared for them too." he mummbled after a good minute of silence, "When they look at you, like you're their, like their savior or somethin'. And they look to you for protection 'cause they think you're the strongest person in the world...makes you care."

Lacey nodded.

"But they'll be fine. We'll be fine."

"How can you know?"

"I don't know... But I'm sure that's what you said to calm Lori down, right?"

He was right.

"I don't know anythin' for sure. The best we can do is just keep tryin', right? Tryin' 'til we can't try no more."

Lacey nodded again and she looked up at him to offer a small smile.

"You're the only person I like in this group, and I don't wanna fight with ya. Can we promise not to fight again?"

She snorted, "We can't promise. We can only try." she turned his words on him and he glared at her.

"I could kick your ass in these woods and no one would be able to save you."

"I thought you liked me!" she laughed, "Please don't kick my ass. I really don't want to have to retaliate." she smirked, "We know how badly that could turn out. For you."

"Hm," he hummed, keeping his arms around her, "Well, there is somethin' else we could do in these woods." he said suggestively.

"Like look for Sophia?" she smirked and slipped out of his grasp to continue along their grid.

"Exactly what I was thinkin'." he stated loudly, as if the volume in his voice would prove that he was the better person and in fact she had been the one trying to detour them from their task.

The search went on until hunger took over and they were running low on water. Daryl offered some squirrel, explaining the raw meat was part of his survival when he was injured and alone a few days ago, to which Lacey answered with a prompt, joyful, "Fuck no!"

They arrived before dusk, dinner was still being cooked and they suffered in hunger a little while longer.

"Hey."

Lacey looked up from her reclined position with her hands clutching her stomach to see Sam carrying Honey. '_That's new_', she thought with an outward chuckle. "Hey," she tried to reply without a groan, "What did you get up to today?"

"Washed some clothes, went to the target practice thing and then I started looking after her." she tilted her head toward Honey.

Lacey nodded, "Any good with a gun?"

She shrugged, "Hit one bottle."

"Not bad," Lacey nodded, "I'm not very good with guns. It was a miracle when Maggie pulled this out." she patted the blade leaned against her chair, "Well, you saw, you know what I mean."

Sam smiled, "Yeah. That was _really_ cool."

"Taught by professionals and movies." she smirked.

"Here you go, Lacey." Carol brought over a plate of meat, what kind of meat it was, she wasn't sure and she didn't care.

"Oh god. Thank you, Carol."

The older woman laughed, "Figured you'd be the hungriest."

Soon everyone was given their portion, the schedule for night watch was discussed and the kids started to drift off one by one...

Lacey, in her own tent, was settled in the sleeping bags, curled up on her left side hands tucked under her pillow, her thoughts drifted toward the occupants in the tent nearest the RV. The children's tent it was called, no longer Daryl's old tent. Erin had decided to sleep among the new children, finding a strong friendship with Sarah and Rachel. All the women knew the feeling, best friends, when you were little you'd be inseperable. Lacey was glad friendship was blooming, but the second body on the cot was gone, there was a vacant spot. She nearly felt lonely, and almost wanted to get up on the cot and sleep with Honey like she used to, but even then it wasn't usually a comfortable rest.

But then another presence entered the tent and the flap zipped up. The lantern was left in the children's tent, as a night light, so Lacey's tent held darkness aside from the light from the moon, but even then, clear features couldn't be seen.

She stayed curled up on her side and felt Daryl settle in behind her. His arm moved, there was a moment of caution before he settled it above the curve of her hip and brought them closer.

Silence followed, aside from chirping bugs and the occasional snap from the doused fire, it was quiet, and she assumed he'd drifted off and she'd soon follow, but then another movement.

Fingers brushed her hair away from her neck and shoulder, the feeling of the slightest touch on her skin caused her to shiver, the greatest kind of shiver. But her hair was less than cared for as of late. In fact she'd not grabbed a shower in over a week, aside from the occasion rub down with a wet towel. So when lips connected with the nape of her neck she felt less than seductive and sultry with the reminder of the dirt, grime and sweat embedded into her skin over the past two days. But just as soon as she was about to make a protest she found herself rendered speechless when teeth were introduced. A helpless whimper was all she could muster before she rolled onto her back, successfully getting Daryl's mouth away from her.

"I," her voice crackled and squeaked and in the darkness she was sure she could make out a smirk on his mouth, '_Smug bastard_', she cleared her throat quickly, "I, um, think maybe we should just go to sleep. I mean, we're both pretty filthy and it's late, we have an early day tomorrow and- and- uhmm," her voice failed her again when he ignored her talking and descended to the same spot on her neck from moments ago.

"I know you might think I care, darlin', but I don't." he mummbled against her skin before pulling away to peer at her through the dark.

"Oh." she whispered, "Are you sure? I mean-"

"Do you. Not. Want to?" he asked slowly and with each word began to ease off of her, but she held onto him, "No!" she just barely shouted and put a hand over her mouth before whispering again, "No, it's just... I don't know..."

"Even in the dark I can see it in your eyes. Your mind's racin'." he sighed.

"I know." she groaned, "I can't stop thinking about the kids, about Lori and the baby, about the kids, about where we're going to go next to live safely when Hershel kicks us out, and did I mention the kids?"

He snorted, "Yeah, ya did."

"I'm sorry." she apologized knowing that she'd just exterminated the mood, like blowing out a candle. They just lay there, partially entangled limbs and in close proximity.

"But, uh," Daryl started far from strongly, "I could distract you, ya know, you said I'm good at distractin' you." and with those words and a shift of the hips the candle was lit again and Lacey blushed brightly in the darkened tent.

"That's very true." she nodded as her fingers traveled beneath his shirt to run along his skin, illiciting a few gasps, but then her fingers came in contact with his bandage and she froze, "What about your stitches? They might pull or break."

"Screw my stitches." he paused, "No, wait... Forget about my stitches, I'mma be fine." he found his rewording up to his par and started for the buttons, zippers and fastenings all at once. And she found herself unable to refuse, '_screw his stitches and let the __**screwing **__begin_'. She needed it, she felt. It'd been a while, aside from the little action given the other night, but that wasn't something they could both enjoy.

"You can just restitch it anyway. You're handy that way."

She laughed before pulling his face to meet hers, kissing his mouth the way she had at the CDC, causing a few tremblings and groanings from her male counterpart in the process of shedding clothing.

"You know, after the other two times I was expecting something daring. Seeing as you like to break my nevers." she mentioned between kisses and breaths.

"What do you want to do then?"

"I don't know. You're still healing. I mean-"

"I can handle it."

"I know... but, umm, maybe we could do it... normal."

"Normal..."

"Well I've _never_ done it the normal way with you. So that's kind of like a never broken."

She could feel his grin against her cheek and she smiled too before wondering, "Is this your attempt at apologizing for yelling at me earlier?"

"Maybe. Is this yours?"

"It is now."

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead<strong>


	45. 22 point 5

_"Hey Robbie."_

_"Yeah." he gave a muffled reply, his face half smothered into a pillow. Both sister and brother were between sitting, slouching and laying down on the couch, trying to gain as much space as they could while leaving no room for the other sibling. A selfish, childish game they never out grew. All while watching t.v. They were watching court t.v. reruns, sharing the day off from their jobs and neither of them were motivated enough to change the channel or put in a movie._

_"Remember all those weird, crazy things Dad used to do for Mom on their anniversary?" she grinned, her eyes set forward on the television, but not really seeing what flashed on the screen._

_"Yeah." he chuckled, "I remember the singing mostly. Back then it was embarrassing, but now... it's kind of cute... adorable. Dad was adorable. There, I said it!"_

_Lacey laughed out loud, "Yeah. Mom's face would go beet red and we'd just giggle." they fell into a giggle fit then for a good couple of minutes before they calmed down._

_"What brought that up?" Robert wondered as his tears from laughter soaked into his pillow._

_"It's their anniversary today."_

_It was two seconds after Lacey had said that when he shot up, "It's their anniversary today..." he repeated. "I filled out the date on the adoption application and I didn't even notice."_

_This time Lacey sat up, "You sent in an application?" a grin pulled at her lips when he nodded, "Yeah. Now comes the stressful part of getting the rest of the forms."_

_A moment of grinning silence was shared before Robert once again broke the still, quiet and stood up with a jump, "We need to do something! For their anniversay. I mean, we should."_

_"Like what?"_

_"Like..." he hummed, "Like..." he paced in front of the coffee table then clapped his hands together, "Like go and bother Ben at work and Jo at school. Embarrass them like Dad used to embarrass Mom!"_

_"Genius!" Lacey shot up and the two high fived._

_A bouquet of flowers, an overwhelming assortment of candies sent to 'Pookie Bear-Honey Face-Love Stallion', and two Star Wars costumes later, they had accomplished their task. And no doubt when their siblings came home there would be a completely chaotic and painful beat down, but it was worth it. And so started the tradition of the Black siblings, as well as the nickname 'Tiny Boba Fett' and 'Gay Han Solo'...  
>Whoever was off work, or whoever had enough time to plan something would unleash embarrassment hell on the others on that one day of the year.<em>

But the day had come and gone. None of them aware. All of them focused on survival in this hellish world and searching for a lost girl... Things weren't the same anymore... They would never be the same again.

* * *

><p>Curled up in Daryl's one armed grasp I felt myself drifting off quickly, but there was a little nagging in the back of my head, it made me feel like I forgot something. But that was impossible, the list in my head had all check marks... And then I found myself wondering what day it was. Wondering, if my birthday passed, or my brothers... I wondered when Honey was born, and when the other kids celebrated their annual day that was all about them... But even then, even if I did know. There's no point in it. Things aren't how they used to be... but somehow... it seems... okay...<p>

-_L.B._


	46. 23

**A/N: Holy shit! Yesterday's episode... dude... I don't even know... Anyway! Thanks for the reviews, seriously, these really long ones I've been getting recently, telling me how great my story is and how much you like the character(s) and how I do all this, thank you so much. It honestly makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and I don't even care how stupid that sounds, because that's how it really makes me feel :) I apologize about the spacing, but I just can't seem to please everyone. Anyway, this a long one, there's a twist to it, but it should be entertaining. I'm sort of proud of this chapter... a review would be nice, just a general thought or emotion :)**

* * *

><p><em>They're Gone<em>

* * *

><p>Satisfied... No. More than satisfied... What ever word that could describe more than satisfied, she couldn't think of it right then. But that was the only way Lacey could describe how she felt the next morning. Though she was disappointed to find herself waking up alone, her very nude body gave her a reminder of last nights endeavours, causing a ridiculous grin to cover her face. The 'normal' way was a good way. Nothing exciting happened, aside from the pleasurable climbing ascent, no stitches ruptured, no need to hurry up and get dressed again after. It was... great.<p>

But in just the second minute in her waking state she found herself already covered in a sheen of sweat, the day was barely starting and already it was humid and hot, not the greatest of weather combinations but they had to deal with it, and just like they dealt with the weather they dealt with putting clothes on. More layers to make the heat even more unbearable. But she did it anyway, exchanging her pants from the previous day for a pair of shorts and tossing on the same t-shirt from yesterday before rising to her knees to rouse Honey.

Lacey took a seat with Honey around the fire, a yawn escaped the little girl and a moment later caused Lacey to do the same. The sun was just rising above the trees and people were still sleeping, or awake, but quiet in courtesy of the others, or they were still somewhat asleep themselves.

Breakfast was cooking and the scent roused others and with each passing minute a child would find their place nearest Lacey. Sarah wondered quietly where Carl was before seeing the boy himself stepping out of his tent with his mother following behind him. Lacey glanced at the girl who closed her mouth before a blush took over her young cheeks. She gave the girl a wink before accepting a jar of baby food given to her by a yawning Robert. "So," Rachel spoke slowly, "Does this mean you're our new mommy?"

Strangely enough, that question, the sort of question that would send Lacey running and hiding, or stuttering and mummbling until someone could save her from such a befuddling and somewhat unsavory topic of conversation had the opposite effect, she wasn't the slightest shaken. She simply nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I guess. I mean, if that's what you want to call me."

"Ma!" Honey shouted and giggled, successfully spitting out most of the spoonful of sweet potatoe puree with a grin. The children giggled while Lacey sighed, trying not to smirk, knowing it would only encourage the baby.

"You just need to remember that I will always protect you. Your safety is the very first on my list of priorities. Mommy or not, you're all mine to guard from harm." she explained as she mopped away the excess food from Honey's face with her hand before flicking it into the fire.

"So... I can call you mommy?" Sarah asked, confusion in her face, but a pinch of hopefullness that didn't go unobserved, Lacey looked to see Rachel and the twins had the same hopeful expressions.

"Yes, you can." she laughed and wiped her hand on her shirt before closing the lid on the food jar. Just in time too, if it had been a second before the food would launched into the dirt, contents spilled everywhere when the kids threw themselves at her and hugged on tightly. Lacey could hear a few 'awww's' emitting from around the fire and she rolled her eyes, one by one they eventually let go and by then everyone was awake and breakfast was being served.

"Cute." Daryl mummbled when he took a seat by Lacey.

"Shut it." she mummbled back.

It was comfortable, it was silent, it was morning. One could almost call it serene. But in their new world that could only mean something bad was soon to come. Good meant bad, and bad meant worse. And the moment Glenn cleared his throat to speak, that's when it began, "Uhh, guys?... So..." he paused, most of the group wasn't giving him the time of day, only a few had glanced up at him, and even fewer looked up at him at all. Though some grew concerned at the sight of the Korean boys troubled features, those few consisted of Lacey, Lori, Jo and Amy.

"The barn's full of walkers."

Glances were shared among the leaders, as if they were speaking through their thoughts. Rick, Shane and Lacey each looked at one another before they shot up from their seats and put their plates behind them.

"I want the kids as far away from that barn as possible. No exceptions. No children go by the barn. If walkers are loose they go inside the Greene home or the RV. Everyone understand that?" Lacey addressed the entire group but focused on the individual children, including 'Sharp Shooter' Carl, waiting for them to give some sign of agreeance. When they each gave a nod or mummbled a yes the rest of the group looked to Shane and Rick, both men who were setting off toward the barn itself.

"Each of you will get a weapon, but don't expect to be on the frontlines if something should happen. I just want you all to know what to do just in case the worse should happen."

"But you'll protect us, right? Like you said?" Sarah asked in a terrified tone, her hands shaking in fear from what lay a good distance away from them.

"You'll save us like you did before. You'll save us from the bad people."

"Yes, yes. I swear. I'll protect you, I'll save you, I just want you all to know how to save and protect yourselves, that doesn't mean I'm letting you fend for yourselves, I'm here. I'll be here, I'll always be here. Okay?"

Lacey found herself surrounded in arms again, but this time it wasn't awkward before a battle, or silly in front of an audience who cooed, it was just them. Just Lacey and all the children she'd saved since this shit started. She felt tears stinging her eyes again but shook them away, there was no time for tears, she had to train these kids and she had to train them quick.

"Alright, I just-" she sighed, damn emotions fucking up her zen, "I just need to find you all something you can work with and uh-" she turned her head toward the barn, even from the distance she could hear the loud commotion. Funny, she thought, how they all believed this farm was a perfect, a god send, but then this new information is thrust upon them. For almost a week they'd been sharing the land with who knows how many walkers. Sleeping without a care, knowing they were perfectly safe when all the time they could've been caught completely off guard...

"Listen, I know the little ones won't be able to do much damage, they'll probably freeze up in the middle of a fight or just at the sight of one close up again. So I'll need your help the most, but don't tell the kids that, I think they're really excited about, ya know, '_training_'. I couldn't find anything else around that was sword like, but I did find an axe, so here," Lacey spoke quietly as she talked with Sam just beyond some trees near the camp. She pulled Sam aside, and told her how it was. These kids couldn't possibly be trusted to protect themselves, let alone wield a weapon. The girl nodded the whole time, taking in every word and a tingling joy filling her when Lacey explained she'd need her help, the axe took her by surprise though. The weight of it, she'd have to get used to it.

"Now, it's not so much bludgeoning you're going for. You want to immobilize it quickly then take care of the brain. But if you can do all that in one chop you're ahead of the game. So, um, get a feel for it, swing it around, chop at the tree. Though, know that what you're practicing for won't stand still like a tree..." Lacey explained as best she could, she was never one for teaching, unless it was teaching something she was very sure and good at. Killing walkers? That wasn't particularly something she'd consider herself the greatest in skill level. But she saw Sam nod, the girl hung on her every word, the admiration in her eyes made Lacey want to laugh and blush at the same time. "Any questions?" she wondered awkwardly.

"No. No, I got it. Just make it an extension of my arms."

"Right," Lacey nodded, "Now I'm gonna see what I can do about the little ones." she smiled as she turned, hearing Sam hefting the axe with a grunt before hearing the sound of the blade impact on a tree. Again and again until it faded and she found the younger kids drawing with sticks in the dirt. She didn't have it in her to stop them from their sweet pass time, they were children and they were acting as children should. She couldn't stop them and put a weapon in their hands to train them. Not that she planned to. She couldn't put a weapon in their hands anyway, they were all so small they couldn't handle anything much bigger than the sticks they were drawing with.

"Lacey." A voice called and shook her from her stare, she wasn't close enough to the kids for them to notice her, or the person that was approaching.

She turned, "Hey, Carol. What's up?" Lacey greeted her before turning her attention back to the kids. Enjoying the feeling of normalcy that came from just watching them play. How very rare it was.

For a few minutes Carol watched them too, but Lacey was sure they weren't feeling the same feelings, she cleared her throat and turned toward the older woman, "Anything I can do for you? I mean, before Rick decides to get moving, 'cause then we're going to start searching again, but 'til then I'm free."

Carol shook her head, "No, no... I, um... I just wanted to that I... I think it's a sign. I mean... you found Rachel, Sam, Billy and Randy and Sarah," she paused and glanced over Lacey's shoulder to see the children she'd just mentioned, without a care in the world, "...and what were the chances of that? Them running straight to you..." she let out a half hearted laugh.

"But an entire week... and you can't even find _one_ little girl... I just think- I mean, Sophia... We don't- **I** don't even know if we'll ever find her. And you're a good leader, Lacey, but..."

Lacey's expression changed from friendly to something concerned, her arms previous crossed fell as she reached out to the woman who was on the brink of tears, "Carol, if you're saying what I think you're saying-"

She took a step back from Lacey, away from her touch, "I'm being realistic."

The younger of the two frowned for a moment before speaking, choosing her words carefully, "Carol. I know you've been through a lot, but you still have to have hope. Otherwise," Lacey scoffed, "What the hell are we trying to survive for? We have to keep going, we have to keep moving, we have to keep fighting and searching or we can just give up and run straight into the mouth of hell. You need to be strong, Carol."

A few tears escaped Carol's eyes before she let out a soft chuckle, "I wish I'd approached you and Daryl at the same time."

Lacey raised a brow, "Why's that?"

"He didn't exactly take it well, when I tried to explain about Sophia..."

She sighed knowing how Daryl would've reacted, "Son of a bitch thinks I don't know him, I know him like a book I've read three times..." she turned toward the kids and found Honey about ingest a large dirt clod. She walked over and grabbed up the girl, took the dirt away and passed her to Carol, "I'll be back, just have to fix our broken soldier, could you watch over them?"

She nodded, "He might have broke some stitches too." Carol informed her.

Lacey waved her off, "He'll be fine."...

"Hey," she called, finding the mountain man himself roaming around the forest edge, he glanced up but kept on what ever he was doing. "Talk to Carol?" she found herself taking a mother's approach, a strategy her own mom had pulled on her tons of times. Act as if you don't know when you really know the entire story.

He gave a short nod, "Stupid bitch said some things."

"And is that what you said to her? You told her she was a stupid bitch, tore your stitches and ran off to glare at the plant life?"

"You don't know what she said to me."

"Yes, I do, 'cause she said the same thing to me. But where I'm not a grouchy man people are afraid to approach, I raised her spirits and called her by her name."

"That's how you women work."

"No. That's how _people_ work, Daryl. You were a total asshole to her and you know that you want to apologize."

"Who the hell do you think-"

"Apologize. Or do you want to be a man like your father?"

He turned to her, a look in his eyes that couldn't believe she'd gone that far. So far as to accuse him of something like that. But a moment later he steeled his expression and that was answer enough for her. He was stubborn but he wanted to prove her (and himself) wrong. He wasn't that man.

"Let me see the damage." she stepped forward and took his shirt in hand and pulled it up to view his wound. She pulled the gauze away to see that there was some slight irritation, just some redness but no blood. "You're okay. Just try to be less violent with your physical outbursts."

"I was fine last night."

"Yeah, but that wasn't a lot of work, and it wasn't violent... You just need to calm down," she looked at him, he was a strong man, physically, but emotionally, mentally...?

"When's the last time you've had quality babble time with your baby girl?" she smirked when she saw a small smile come to his mouth, "She's with Carol. Get your girl and figure out a way to apologize."

There was a whistle in the air, a sharp, long whistle. It caught most people's attention on the farm, but then they went back to their buisness knowing there was only one person that was called upon by whistle, and just by the whistle alone it sounded like 'Laaceey'. She rolled her eyes, seeing that they weren't too far off from the barn and apparently unauthorized eyes had been watching them, "I'm so close to kicking that guy right in the face."

"Wish you would."

"Just needs to step out of line again and BAM! Steel toe to the kisser."

"Speakin' of kissers." He pulled her toward him for a quick kiss before she went to her summoner, "Please do what I said." she said before breaking into a run toward the barn where Shane was leaned against an old, broken down piece of farm machinery.

"Yes ma'am." Daryl mummbled to himself. His thoughts took over as he started at a slow pace back toward the camp. She was good for him. She kept him grounded and he did the same for her. Lacey Black. He shot a glance to where she was, hands on her hips as she stood a good three feet away from Shane as she spoke to him, her brow was scrunched and it was clear that she didn't like to be near or interacting with the man, but she was good enough not to snap and start a fight or knock his teeth in.

She was the balance, his balance. Daryl was considered aggressive, most of the time. And she was the kind one, but under the correct circumstances she'd become something almost scary... But she's what he needed. That someone who genuinely cares about him, and knows him well enough to tell him how it is and kick his ass if he really needed it. But it was equal... He needed her. He admitted it. He **needed** her... Completely startled by his own thoughts he admitted something more to himself... And he wasn't even scared...

"What's it gonna be, man. Which way's this thing go?" Shane asked when Rick walked up to them to stare at the barn. The barn. It had become their main focus now.

"I don't know yet." Rick sighed and glanced toward Lacey who had her eyes on the barn and was chewing on a fingernail.

"What did he say?"

"We're negotiating."

Shane chuckled in a way opposite of tickled, "Clock's tickin', Rick."

"We can't just go in there and take them out. This is Hershel's land, and like Dale said he thinks they're just sick people, and there'll be a cure and they'll go back to normal... but," Lacey paused, "There isn't a cure. They're dangerous to have here, so close to us too..."

"The barn's secure. We didn't even know about it 'til this morning."

"We know about it now. We know that there's over a dozen walkers in there. We know that it's just a stone's throw from our camp. Where we sleep so... Look if we're not gonna go in there and clear it out, we just gotta go."

"We're not gonna clear it out."

"We can't clear it out." Rick and Lacey protested at the same time.

"And we're not gonna go." Rick continued.

"If we just have our guns,"

"No we can't have our guns, we can't have them here."

"We're already pushing the limit. Hershel wanted us gone after Carl was healed up. Then we learn he's keeping walkers and you want to take care of everyone of them- Shane, this isn't your house, we're one someone else's property and we have to play by their rules. And the more we cooperate, the chance that he'll let us stay permanently is more likely." Lacey stood between Shane and Rick, keeping a barrier between the two just in case, even if she was the only one that was still armed.

"Why do you wanna stay here when it's not safe? I mean, I just can't-"

"We can make it safe."

"How we gonna do that?"

"We will."

"How we gonna make it safe-"

"Okay?"

"No! It's not okay!"

Lacey, whether or not she was the barrier between them was starting to get squished and the raised voices were getting close to shouts, and they were supposed to be calm, they were the leaders, after all. But just when she was about call for a time out and steer the men away from each other Rick spoke up, "Lori's pregnant." and silence fell.

"We need to stay." Rick said evenly.

"We need our guns." Shane said, the shock seeming to numb him momentarily.

"No we don't, I can work this out." Rick stated and started for the house again but stopped, "You good?"

"Yeah," Shane said, then laughed, "Lori's havin' a baby, man... Congradulations."

Lacey stiffened, knowing things that she probably shouldn't know but knew anyway, and the things she knew involved the people around her, and the people around her didn't know that another party was now in on the secrets.

"Thank you." Rick said and continued toward the Greene home. Once he was near the porch Shane's voice spoke again.

"Did you know?"

Lacey turned, "Of course I know. Lori's my best friend, she told me."

"She tell you other things...?"

"She mentioned some."

Shane nodded, not sure if Lacey knew or didn't know about him and Lori getting together and the high possibility that it was his baby in Lori's stomach, not Rick's.

"You know we have to do something about this." Shane changed the subject and turned toward the barn, "You know it just as much as I do. I know you're worried about those kids even more now. You saved them from a few walkers, but a barn full? I think we'd all stand a better chance if we got to them first before they get to us."

"You're right." Lacey nodded, "But we can't do anything about it until Hershel gets his head on straight." with that she walked back toward the camp, the least time she spent with Shane the better.

"Hey, Lacey!" she turned toward the voice calling her, recognizing it as Sam's, it was sort of distant, she searched and searched but couldn't find the source.

"Lacey! Here! Up here!" she heard Erin call this time, accompanied by some giggling. She wandered toward the voice and looked up to see Sam, Sarah and Erin sitting on heavy branches and holding onto the trunk of a huge tree close to the Greene home. Lacey laughed, but then the worry began to grow in her stomach, "Get down from there." she said, but still couldn't help the amusement that was held in her tone.

"You girls been climbing?"

"Yeah." Erin giggled, "Sam showed us. She's good at it."

Sam just shrugged off the compliment, "I used climb trees all the time when I was little. And I figured, climbing could be useful, you know, if we're getting chased. I don't think those, what do you guys call them, walkers? I don't think they can climb. We'd be safe in trees."

"Yeah," Lacey nodded, "but they're very persistent. You could be stuck in that tree for days. Trap yourself. It's best to just kill them. End the chase before it begins, ya know?"

"Right." Sam nodded, a hint of what Lacey thought might be shame crossed her features.

"But it's still good to have, ya know, climbing skills. I know I'm not a good climber. Not even a good runner. So, it's good." Lacey nodded and Sam seemed to brighten the slightest bit.

"So how about we get something to eat." she suggested to the girls before nodding toward Sam specifically, "Build up some blisters?"

"Just a small one."...

It was high noon when Shane came stomping into camp and thundered into the RV, ignoring Glenn's greeting and slamming things around until he came out huffing and puffing like some animal about to pounce on the next person that came up to him and said the wrong thing. Lacey glanced over, squinting against the suns light even though she didn't need to see the men conversing, she heard them all too well.

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Don't even try to shit me, okay? Dale! Glenn. Did you see where Dale went."

"Yeah he asked me to go and get him some water, said he'd cover me on watch."

"He was gone when you got back, huh?"

"Yeah, you think he's okay?"

"Oh, he's fine."

"Why'd he bail then?"

"So you wouldn't tell me which way he went."

"I don't get it."

"Nah, man. You don't."

Lacey stood up half way through the conversation when she heard that very dangerous tone that Shane was using. She brushed her hands against her shorts before stepping up to the visibly fuming man and asked quietly, "Shane, what's the problem?" She put her hands on her hips, a normal thing, but this time she placed on hand on the handle of her blade, just in case.

"It's Dale, Lace. He ran off with all the guns, hidin' them from me." Shane explained in a growl, becoming more and more predatory with each breath he took, shifting from foot to foot, muscles all tensed. Lacey took in all of this and nodded.

"Right... I don't think you need a gun right now when you're acting like this. Why don't you just wait-"

"Oh shut up, princess." he snapped, cutting her off and eyeing her up and down before starting away from her, walking backward. "You get to walk around totin' your blades like you some kind of warrior, just because the old farmer's got a crush on your or somethin'? Why don't you get back to babysittin'."

"Shane," Lacey started but he'd already spun around, away from her and walking away with long, determind strides.

"Fuck," she grumbled, "Glenn?" she called up toward the RV, "You know where Rick went?"

"Somewhere with Hershel and Jimmy."

"Shit." she hissed, Shane was crazy, Rick was gone, Dale was mystery and Daryl, Carol and Honey were missing too.

"Is everything okay?" Sam asked, startling Lacey a little bit, but she nodded, "Yeah. Everything should be fine."

"_Should_?"

"A lot of people are off doing their own thing. I need Rick's help and he's helping someone else... Have you seen my brothers? Any of them?"

"Lacey!"

She spun around, "Ben!" she saw the twins were trailing behind him.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Shane, he's looking for Dale. He's more off than usual. And I don't know where Rick is."

Ben nodded, keeping calm and knowing through observations similar to what Lacey witnessed that Shane was indeed tipping the scales on sanity as of late, or so it seemed. And just as much as he wasn't seeing eye to eye with Lacey, the same, if not more went for Dale, "Which way did he go?"

"That way," she pointed in the direction where the man in question was just disappearing into the trees, "but Dale might not even be that way. We need to protect Dale, just let Shane go."

"Relax. I'll go after Shane."

"Be careful." she looked to the boys and the girls, in them she found and kept her cool. She had them gather in Daryl's tent, believing what ever amount of safety it would bring it would be enough for now. She could feel the pressure, everywhere. Being the only leader in camp, the main leader was off somewhere and the second in command was AWOL and seemed to be out for blood.

"Hey, Mom." Sarah giggled. Lacey's heart accelerated, that title, it was her title now. Something she'd only heard directed at Lori and the countless mothers of children in the hospital, or mother's admitted for care with their kids glued to their bedside. Calling her own mother that. She never thought she'd gain that title, that name... she felt tears coming to her eyes and butterflies in her stomach, but she smothered those gooey feelings away and turned to see the girls were covering their mouths, giggling too, while they pointed outside the tent at something. She leaned over and saw it, "Aw, well that's cute." she mummbled at the sight of Glenn and Maggie. She let out a low whistle, "Get a room!" she called. She laughed along with the kids when the couple moved apart and glanced in their direction, "Oh no!" she whispered and chuckled as she hurriedly closed the tent flaps, concealing them even though all their laughter rang out loudly.

"Hey, you creepers!" Maggie called, "Why don't ya'll come out of your hideout and sit in the shade with us!"

Lacey looked back at the kids who just gave her a 'why not' shrug.

Go fish, crazy eights, poker, blackjack, checkers, chess. After a while it got boring, even for the kids. The pack of cards eventually was claimed by Ben (who couldn't locate Shane after a good 30 minute search and returned back to camp) and Jo who were making a house of cards with the twins, Sarah and Rachel played hopscotch in the dirt with Amy, and Erin sat by Carl, peering over his shoulder as he continued to play checkers with Patricia and Beth.

Lacey rolled her neck around, relieving the smallest amount tension, emitting out a few pops before she looked foward, then toward the barn. "Where the hell is Rick..." she groaned, even in the shade and a light breeze she was sweating buckets. "We should've been out scoping the grid hours ago." she sat forward, resting her arms on her knees and her head rested in her arms.

"Hey, where's Honey?" Sam wondered.

"Daryl." Lacey grumbled from her slumped position.

"Oh... Hey, what's with the hat, Glenn?" Sam, ever the speaker.

Lacey turned her head in her arms to glance at Glenn and Maggie who sat a couple feet away from her on the steps. "I was wondering that too. It's one of Dale's, isn't it? It looks... strange."

"Smashed an egg in his hat." Maggie fessed up almost proudly. Lacey and Sam giggled loudly.

Glenn just mock glared. "They're right. You look like you should be in line for the early bird special. Here," Maggie smirked and took it off his head, "Go get your cap, I'll wash it for you."

"A woman who will smash an egg in your hat and then wash it for you. Now that's a keeper, Glenn. You make sure you keep her close." Lacey smiled. Glenn just gave a small chuckle in return before standing up.

"Lace."

She hummed in response before looking up to see Robert, Andrea and T-Dog strolling up to the porch, "What? What's wrong?" she asked and stood up.

"Do you know what's goin' on?" T-Dog wondered.

"What do you mean?" Lacey shook her head, not sure of how to answer and not sure whether she knew anything to begin with.

"As it stands, _your_ in charge, short stuff. The other two are missing still. What are we doing?" Rob explained with an exhausted grin.

"Yeah, where is everybody?" Andrea added.

"You haven't seen Rick?" Glenn shot back.

"No, he went off with Hershel." she explained, apparently not everyone was aware of other peoples whereabouts. That was _settling._

"And Shane stomped off earlier to who knows where." Lacey mummbled with a roll of her eyes.

"We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago."

"Yeah you were. What the hell?" Daryl called as he, Carol and Honey strolled up to porch where everyone was sat in the shade.

"Ma." Honey whined and reached for Lacey, Daryl passed the girl off to her mother and gave her a nod in response to her questioning glance. So he had apologized. Good.

"Rick's helping Hershel with something... still." Sam explained, somewhat awkwardly when Daryl looked straightt at her when she spoke up when no one else did.

"Damn it! Isn't anyone takin' this seriously! We got us a damn trail!" Daryl all about shouted.

"Ah, here we go." All attention was brought toward Shane who carried the bag of guns slung around his shoulder. '_This can not be good._' Lacey wasn't stupid, she wasn't about to bring a knife to a gun fight, especially when that fight was against a crazed man. Rick was the only man who could talk sense into Shane, she knew it, if they all knew it, she wasn't sure. But she kept her distance from the bag of guns, keeping Honey close and putting a hand on Sam's wrist. "What's all this?"

"You with me, man?" Shane offered a shot gun to Daryl, and without even a moment of hesitation he took the gun and cocked it, Lacey sighed, letting her eyes fall closed in defeat for a moment.

"Time to grow up. You already got yours?" Shane announced to the group before acknowledging Andrea.

"Yeah, where's Dale?"

"He's on his way."

"I thought we couldn't carry." T-Dog wondered while he took his gun from Shane.

"Yeah, we can and we have to. Now look, it was one thing sittin' around pickin' daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe, but now we know it ain't... How 'bout you man, you gonna protect yours?" Shane moved on to Glenn, who glanced at Maggie before taking hold of the heavy weapon.

"Can you shoot?" he turned to Maggie.

"Can you stop? You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight." Maggie tried her hand at making him quit what ever he was trying to start, but he ignored her and moved along to the next person.

"How 'bout you, Sam, you good to go?"

"No, she's not going to be dragged into this. If Hershel wants to kick you out, fine, but you're not taking us with you." Lacey spoke up, standing protectively in front of the girl who seemed too startled herself to even speak, and she was _the_ jabber mouth.

"We have to stay Shane." Carl spoke up.

Lori walked around the porch confused and outraged, just as anyone would be to stumble upon a scene of this sort, gun distribution when the rules were plain, said and set, "What is this?"

"We ain't goin' anywhere, okay? Now look, Hershel, he's just gonna have to understand, he's- he's gonna have to. We need to find Sophia, am I right?" Shane spoke to Carl who stood in front of Lacey now, the man came to one knee before offering him a gun, handle toward him, "Now I want you to take this, you take this, Carl, and you keep your mother safe. You do what ever it takes, you know how, go on, take the gun and do it."

Lori stepped up, nudging her son behind her as she did, "Rick said no guns, this is not your call, this is not your decision to make."

"Oh shit." T-Dog's statement tore everyone's gazes elsewhere, to what had caused the man to speak out in shock like that, to the seen that was just peeking out of the woods for all to see. Hershel and Rick were back and they were wrangling walkers.

"What is that?" Shane mummbled before sprinting toward the men and Jimmy guiding the monsters toward the barn. The entire group followed, who wouldn't want to know and understand the explanation behind this? Lacey came to a stop just beside the fence, not wanting to a get a step closer than that to those things, especially when her arms contained a semi frantic Honey. All the shouting was getting to her, to all of the kids, and the sight of the walkers wasn't making it anymore pleasant for them, for any of the actually. This was a sight of madness, true madness.

"What the hell you doin'!" the calm conversation was gone, though it was already making its exit the moment Shane started passing out guns, there was no chance of ever seeing it again, it was now a shouting match, and keeping away from the agitated walkers who just wanted a bite to eat, growling and groaning, reaching and struggling.

"Shane just back off!"

"Why do your people have guns?"

"Are you kiddin' me? You see! You see what they're holdin' on to?"

"I see **who** I'm holdin' on to."

"Nah man, you don't."

"Shane, let us do this, then we can talk."

"What you wanna _**talk**_ about, Rick? These things ain't _sick_! They ain't **people**! They're dead! And they're gonna kill all of us unless we do somethin'!" Shane put a good distance between him and Rick and Hershel and their wrangled walkers, he took his gun from his waistband and readied it, taking aim with a steady hand, "Hey, Hershel, man, lemme ask you somethin'. Can a livin', breathin' person, can they walk away from this?" the shots rang out loudly, the children, even some of the adults flinched.

"Stop it!"

"That's three rounds to the chest. Can someone who's alive, can they just take that? Why's it still comin'?" 2 shots, "That's its heart! Its lungs! Why's it still comin'?" 2 more shots.

"Shane enough!"

"Yeah, you're right man, that is enough." Shane walked forward toward the walker in Hershel's capture and put a round through its head, the thing fell hard and fast, pulling the old man down with it, along with the shock of it all he was driven to his knees.

"Enough! Riskin' our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough! Livin' next to a barn full of these things tryin' to kill us! Enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before. Now, if ya'll wanna live! If ya'll wanna survive, you gotta fight for it! I'm talkin' 'bout **fight**! Right here! Right now!"

Voices called out. They called out for Shane, called out for Rick, for Hershel. Something needed to be done. Shane was going to get them all killed, if not that, get them all kicked off the farm. He went at the lock and chain with a pick axe. But through the shouting, and the crying, and the smashing there was another sound in the distance...

Lacey turned when she heard the dogs barking, "Walkers..." she mummbled under her breath and squinted her eyes, that was the only reason they could bark. She started for the camp, she heard her name being called from behind her but she ignored it. As she got closer to the camp and saw the dogs barking just beyond the RV she saw them, there were 3, shuffling slowly through the brush toward the farm house.

"Walkers!" she shouted and turned, she shouted again gaining everyones attention who were still at the barn. Those that had followed her; Robert, Jo and Amy, caught sight of what she and the dogs had. As if there weren't enough walkers around already.

"Alright," Lacey breathed when the majority of the group was running toward the camp again, "Like I said earlier, kids inside. Amy." she passed Honey toward the young blonde.

Without another word Amy gathered the kids that were piling up around them, "But I wanna stay with Mom." she heard one of the girls grumble, but Amy just shushed them and ushered them toward the Greene home. Lacey could hear more whining and complaining as they gathered on the porch.

"How many?" Rick asked checking the cylinder of his gun.

"I see 3, but there could be more. We all saw what happened on the highway..." she said. Everyone else was grabbing their weapons of choice, "It's your call."

Rick glanced around, the children were gathered up on the porch staring at the adults cocking their guns, those that were weaponless were hovering near the RV, some (of the Greene clan had yet to even make it back to the encampment.

He breathed through his nose before looking back at the walkers coming their way, they'd picked up their pace, probably catching human scent so near to them.  
>"Alright. Send Rocket out. We'll take care of the ones still standing."<p>

"No guns, just in case there're others close by, right?"

"Right. You and Daryl go. I'll take a group to the forest edge from where they came, see if there's anymore stragglers. Then we gotta come back and fix what Shane put to hell here." Rick mummbled then turned to the rest of the group, "Ben, Rob, T-Dog, cover the house! Those of you that don't have a weapon get in the house or the RV. Amy get those kids in the house! Once Lacey and Daryl take care of those three, Jo, Glenn and I will scout the area from where they came, take out anymore roamers." Rick called out instructions.

"Rocket, go get 'em." Lacey commanded the dog and she bolted. Rocket shot out into the field, jumping over the fence easily and built up more and more speed until she finally reached them, taking out the first one, snapping her jaws around its head and dragging it down. She disappeared from sight, no doubt finishing the job. The other two walkers weren't even bothered, they kept moving, determined.

She glanced toward Daryl next to her, he dropped the shotgun and loaded his crossbow, he nodded toward the living dead coming their way, "Ladies first."

She shook her head with a smirk before taking her blade from its sheath, she shook her legs out before getting ready to sprint.  
>"Lacey!" she spun on her heel, eyes wide, "Sam! Get in the house!"<p>

"No, I wanna fight with you." the girl held the axe as easily as Ben held his, but Lacey was not going to risk it.

"Sam, get back in the house. Now is not the time." Lacey's arm went out and she pointed toward the home.  
>"But-"<br>"No buts, get in the..." Lacey eyes flickered a glance to where her finger was pointing and all words escaped her.

Movement. The look of a stern parent turned into a look of horror when she caught sight the walkers, the open barn doors, they were all piling out, heading straight for the house. And the closest were about to reach the humans nearest, all of them unawares to what was happening behind them, gathered all around the home and camp, in particular the humans that stood guard in front of the house, the ones whose attention were focused on the argument between a teenager and a woman who'd become the 'Walking Orphange'.

As soon as her face had taken on its fear stricken expression everyone else followed her gaze.

"Ben!" her screech was ear piercing, and for a few moments it seemed just for Lacey, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Her legs surged her forward, but they weren't fast enough, it was like she was tredding water, or like in a nightmare where you can never run as fast as you need to... Though this wasn't a dream at all.

Her oldest brother tossed a glance over his shoulder, but it was a second too late as the walker grabbed him and sank its teeth into his shoulder.

All the sounds were muffled in Lacey's ears, the screams, the gun fire. She felt completely paralysed even though her legs kept her moving, and the closer she got the more she wished it was just a nightmare. The children panicked, their voices and cries shrill as they ran toward their caretaker, the one who would protect them, the one they trusted, only to be side swiped by a creature that should not be. The walker tore the muscle and flesh from Ben's shoulder, and the blood and gore flowed.

"No!" she screamed, her own voice muffled to her own ears until everything, sound and time went back its normal pace. She was running hard and fast, her breath was heavy and stung her throat and lungs. A bolt penetrated the walker through the eye, and Ben collapsed to the ground.  
>She wasn't even that far from the house, even with all the adrenaline she felt like she was miles away. Rob dropped to his knees, putting his hand against the gushing wound on Ben's shoulder, neglecting the fact that the barn that contained more than a dozen walkers, they were loose and surprise had got the best of the all of them.<p>

"Robbie, behind you!" Lacey shrieked, and in just a blink of her eye the walker was on him, clutching onto him, biting his skull, ripping the skin and hair from Robert's head. The walker sunk its fingers into his shoulders, keeping him still before sinking its teeth into Rob's ear and neck and tugging away with a mouth full of human. She felt a churning in stomach at the sight of the gore but kept it down and drove her sabre into the walkers skull. Its jaw slackened, releasing the meat of Robbie's neck and ear from its teeth.

She looked to her brothers, passing a glance over the porch she almost gagged, but kept the contents of her stomach from escaping her throat, she shook her head, '_There's nothing I can do_' her thoughts told her at the sight of the small bodies scattered, mangled and bleeding. '_There's nothing I can do_'. Their chests were frozen, no sign of breath, no sign of life...

Shots rang through the air, but once again, she couldn't hear them, she dropped her sabre, and fell to her knees. She reached for her brothers, Ben and Rob, her voice seeming to be stolen from her, aside from whining squeaks that were all she could manage.

"You know what you have to do, Lacey. Don't hesitate." Ben spoke through hisses of pain before he dropped his head to the grass and a long exhale deflated his chest.  
>A breath escaped her mouth, something of a gasp, a plead. Tears were building up in her wide eyes, blurring her vision before she turned to Robbie, the color was already draining from his skin as he bled and bled into the dirt and grass. He panted, blinking hard to keep his eyes focused as he reached a bloody hand up to his little sister's face, "Stay strong for the kids. For everyone. Protect them..." he gasped, wincing as he squeezed his eyes shut, his eyes were slightly crossed, his pupils dialated when he opened his eyes again, giving Lacey a faint smile, "Keep going." she held her hand over his that lay on her cheek. She felt him go limp, and saw his eyes shut, but she kept his hand to her cheek, eyes wide with an unblinking teary stare.<p>

It felt like an eternity before she felt arms pull her up from the ground, making her release Robert's dead hand from her grip. Her gaze was unfocused, there was a ringing in her ears, muffled voices talked to her but she couldn't understand.

Two shots. Blood spattered onto the grass. Dragging and carrying bodies away. Four more shots. There was no more screaming, no crying, there were no more gun shots. The ringing stopped and the sound came back. Rick, Hershel and Shane's voices. She could hear them. She was seated on the porch, there was a slam, and she could feel it. A door slam, and a few seconds after that another. But she still felt like she couldn't really see. A figure stooped down in front of her, and took her hands into theirs.

"Babe... Darlin'?" she knew the voice but couldn't respond, she couldn't even see him.

"Look at me, girl... Lacey, look at me." with gentle hands he took her chin and tilted her face up, searching her eyes for something, anything that told him that she was still there. After a few moments her teary eyes shifted and found him. She flinched, as if she hadn't known he was there in front of her at all for last minute.

"Are you alright?"

"I," her voice cracked, tears finally falling freely, like rain drops down her cheeks and onto her lap. Daryl watched her face, she seemed to be searching for the right word, or she couldn't even think of any words at all. All the shock had left her mute and dumb. But she shook her head and took a deep, shaky inhale, more tears falling down her face as she focused on a blood stained patch of grass just beyond where she sat. "I, uhh-" she nodded and looked back up into Daryl's eyes, that strangly calm look about her face crumbled a moment later and she broke down.

Registering what happened, she couldn't control it anymore. Her face fell into her hands as she cried. Daryl sat next to her, circling his arms around her tightly as she sobbed. Her cries caught the attention of a few bystanders, those of which would send a sorrowful glance toward the girl. Daryl held onto her, forcing back his own tears, knowing it wasn't his turn to cry, but just witnessing her agony made his chest tighten and his eyes water. She needed a rock, Robert had been her rock, and she saw him get gnawed on by walkers, listen to his last breaths and his dying words, telling her keep going, before the light in his eyes was gone. She remembered seeing JoJo's shoes, and the spatter of blood. He had pulled the trigger.

JoJo, the youngest, and believed to be the '_weakest_' of the Black family, was the strongest when Lacey had fallen. He did what was right. He gave them the final bullet. And then Lacey stopped crying, in between her whimpers she realized...

"They're gone."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>


	47. 23 point 5

_"Amy! Get in the goddamn house! Erin, stay with her! Don't come out until I come for you! Don't move! Ya hear me!"_

_Neither of them needed to be told twice. The door slammed shut behind them, and if they knew right, they'd look it too. I dropped my crossbow in the grass, there wasn't enough time for reloadin'. The shot gun blew them all away. Catchin' the ones just before they passed the gate was like a shootin' gallery. There wasn't room or time for any guilt, it was do or die, and I was protectin' what was mine. But when it was all over, and everything was quiet and safe again..._

_She held her brother's bloody lifeless hand to her cheek... Both of them, Ben and Robert, they lay there, gaping wounds, bled out... dead... Then the porch... __**that**__... that would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life. Their small bodies, no light in their young eyes, and the blood..._

_"Daryl!"_

_Jo. Jo had survived, he held a pistol in his hands but tucked it into his waistband before nodding to Lacey, "Get her away from them."_

_I did as he said, picking her up and putting her on the porch steps, covering her vision when I saw him grab up Robert's shot gun and taking aim... Two shots. It was done. He and a few others started to carry the bodies away. Lacey looked like a statue, she didn't look like she was aware of her surroundings, no doubt in shock, but she was still breathing, she wasn't injured, so I left her alone for a minute, and crossed the porch. I went around the other way, I couldn't see their bodies, just the sight of the blood... I bursted into the house and found Erin, slightly shaken, and Honey cryin', tryin' to escape Amy's grasp._

_"Is it...?" Amy asked slowly as she pulled Honey back to her and tried to keep her still._

_I nodded, "It's done."_

_Erin walked toward me, hands shaking and face pale, "Can I go outside?"_

_The blood. The bodies... "No. Not right now, stay in here and I'll come get you when it's okay."_

_"Where's Sarah? And Rachel?"_

_I felt sick for a second, but just shook my head and started for the door, "Girl, I need you stay here."_

_In the distance I could hear more shots, the merciful bullets that wouldn't allow them to come back as the things they feared most. They weren't scared now- not anymore._

_I pushed through the screen door, and a gasp emitted from the other side, there was Sam, her eyes were wide but there wasn't a tremor through her body, she just clutched that axe close to her, "Are you alright?" I asked, fighting it within myself to reach out and search for any scratches or wounds, there were only spots of blood on her arms and face, sprayed on during the fight. She shook her head, then glanced toward the other end of the porch, "I tried to talk to her, I don't think she could hear me."_

_I looked to where Lacey sat, still in the same position I'd left her in, "I'll take care of her. Clean yourself up."_

_I knew this would happen... sooner or later she'd break, and I had figured sooner, but I never knew... I never knew seeing her so heartbroken... devestated... destroyed... cryin'... I didn't know how much it would effect me too. Her older brothers were gone. The children she'd saved were gone... I saw them starting to dig graves a little way away from the barn under the shade of a tree. I knew I should probably help, but that's when-_

The body count (excludin' the walkers) came to a grand total of 8. Benjamin Duncan Black, Robert Alan Black, Sarah, Rachel, Billy, Randy. Blue and Blondie...

And I think I lost my girl too...

-_D.D._


	48. 24

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Connection problems, tests and what have you (also a slight lack of interest a few times). And I've got to admit these next few chapters are going to be as dull as those few episodes were until Judge, Jury and Executioner. So, yeah. And I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do when the season ends (which was amazing by the way. I said 'oh my god' so many times, my parents hate me a lot right now, but I'm so HAPPY to see my favorite character finally made her appearance! She's such a FUCKING BAD ASS! I LOVE HER! :) I'm a total spaz, sorry). I have an idea, but I'm not too sure about it... I'll try to figure something out. So anyway! Thanks for those reviews, sorry I made a few of you cry, but then I guess that means I'm doing something right, right? :)**

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><p><em>Counting Bodies Like Sheep<em>

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><p>Lacey wiped away the wetness from her face in what seemed like an embarrassed way as she stood up. She slipped out of Daryl's arms and continued to wipe at her face, even though the previous moisture was gone. It was like she was trying to rub away the idea that there had been tears streaming down her cheeks, or sobs so loud her throat felt raw. Even the sight of her hands regaining color reminded her just how tightly she was holding onto Daryl's shirt, reminding she had broken down completely, and not by herself, but in front of everyone. Her image, she believed, was destroyed. "I... I, uhh..." she mummbled as she stepped backward toward the camp, "I think I just...I think I need to be alone for a...f-for a while..." she turned away, keeping her head down to hide the redness from the crying and the embarrassment and disappeared into her tent.<p>

Of all the times she needed a distraction he was sure this was the time she'd need him the most. Not even a distraction, just someone who was there, literally a shoulder to cry on. He thought she'd need him- want him to be there for her, sympathize, help her calm down. He thought wrong, apparently. All the things he thought he knew about her, about what she wanted, what she wanted from him... They were almost to the edge of 'Regular Couple' territory. But there she was, walking away from him... Was all that time wasted? Time spent talking; sharing stories and understanding each other, worrying about her, thinking about her, dreaming about her...

"Don't take it personally. She's, umm..." Daryl turned to see who was talking to him. Jo, her little brother, a grimace came to his face as he continued, "it might take her a little time. She gets this way sometimes. She doesn't like people seeing her cry, she's ashamed, embarrassed, ya know... I mean, I don't know why. She's just always been like that. But, uhm, since just about the entire farm saw and heard her... just give her some time." Jo spoke awkwardly as he suggested this, leaned against the shovel he held in his grasp. But the older man just glared at him before standing up and stomping off.

"Alright..." Jo nodded, mummbling to himself, "Great." he picked up his shovel and started for the designated grave area...

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><p>'<em>Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.'<em>

"Lace?"

For the few of hours it took to dig those graves, put the bodies in and cover them back up again Lacey had secluded herself in her tent. Honey and Erin were left in Amy and Maggie's care, Sam had helped with the digging, and the rest were doing what ever part they could do to help, and/or keep themselves from crying. But Lacey... She just shut herself up in her tent, sitting on the cot, legs pulled up to her chest as she just stared at a spot on the nylon floor. Her eyes weren't red or puffy, she didn't sniffle, there were no more tears. She just stared at the floor. To most she would appear to be in shock, but Jo knew better. Her mind was buzzing with hundreds, maybe even thousands of voices shouting and screaming, but they all said the same thing, she could understand... but she hated to comes to terms with it... with reality.

"They really are gone." she said, her voice cracking slightly as Jo stepped in and took a seat beside her.

"Yeah." he nodded.

She took a deep breath before speaking again, "I... I'm not in shock."

"I know you aren't."

"I just... I can't believe it, but I know it's real. I know what happened... They're not coming back..." she gaze never moved from that spot on the floor, but then she shook her head, "I mean... they're not coming back in the way we thought mom and dad might come back, like the accident wasn't as bad as they thought, they'd have a few bumps and bruises but they wouldn't complain when we hugged them with every ounce of strength we had... Everything would be normal again... But now if they came back, they'd come back like monsters, they'd come back wrong..." there was a long moment of silence where Jo just stared at his sister, he watched her face go from a small smile to a straight line as she spoke, "But you took care of that." she finally moved her sight to look at her brother, looking into his eyes that held nothing but sadness, "You took care of it when I couldn't."

Another quiet moment followed where Lacey remembered all the times she looked into her little brother's eyes to see that same sadness. He was only three when the accident took their parents, he didn't remember anything of them at all aside from the photos Lacey kept in albums or put in frames. He only knew them from these photos, and from the stories his elder siblings would share from their memory. He recognized all the features he and his siblings inheirted from their parents. Dad's hair was graying in the last photo taken of the parents before they perished, but it was dark. Ben, Rob and Jo had inherited the dark hair, while Lacey got the blonde, Mom's hair color. But while everyone else's hair was rather tame, Jo had recieved the unruly curls that came along with their mother's blonde hair. Blue green eyes for the girl, while the boys got dad's dark ones. Sister was short, while the brothers grew tall. And as they grew older they noticed who seemed to look more like dad or mom. Jo would laugh along with them with each new story told, wishing he could remember, but at the same time glad he couln't remember. At the age of eight he finally stopped asking Lacey 'Where are Mommy and Daddy?', 'When are they coming back?', 'Can we go home now? I miss them.' But he wasn't her sad, scared, little brother anymore. He had the courage and proper state of mind enough to do what needed to be done, to work through the mental and physical pain until he could properly let out all that had built up.

Jo raised his arm to put it around her shoulders and she leaned into him, tears he'd been holding in for hours were starting to spill down his cheeks while he let his sister continue to speak, "He told me to, too. And I just shut down like... like... I don't even know..." for a few moments she was quiet and Jo wasn't exactly sure of what to say. He thought he'd let her say all she needed to, and maybe she'd cry and they'd cry together and then attend the funeral and try to move on, but she couldn't be done yet. She was left to sit in this tent for hours, more words had to have accumulated since then. He sniffled slightly, realizing he was crying and opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke again.

"I promised them. I made a promise to them that I'd protect them. I told them that they would be safe with us... They'd probably still be alive if they never found me..."

There it was, that's what he was waiting for. Their brothers **and** the children and how it was '_All her fault_'.

"Lacey, don't blame yourself."

"Who should I blame then? I can't put the blame on Hershel, he was just an ignorant, a fool... who better to blame than myself? Someone who thought everything through, who's capable and..." she stopped herself before she became shrill and cleared her throat before speaking calmly again, "I made a promise and I broke it... and now they're dead... And Ben and Robbie..." her voice cracked again and Jo pulled her closer.

"Don't do this, Lace. You can't be like this... You're my big sister, you can't... I need you, I need your help with this... You can't just leave me all alone."

Lacey looked to her brother, tears were freely falling from his eyes, but he fought hard against the sob that was building up in his throat. She took his arm off of her and circled him with both of hers, "All my life I was dedicated to protecting you... but I really should've been watching over them, our older brothers... They're... They're really gone, Jo... What are we gonna do?" She leaned her head against his shoulder. His hands came up to hold onto her arm, something he always did when she'd hold onto him while he cried when he was younger. Sometimes he'd be so scared, so upset, so confused, he had to hold onto her just to make sure she was still there, to keep her there in case all that was keeping her in this world was his touch.

But they were both scared, upset and confused this time. Jo held on a little tighter, his blurry, teary eyed vision swooping toward the tent entrance, making sure there wasn't another walker here to take his only family away and leave him completely alone... But they weren't alone. They had still had others. Amy. Honey and Erin. Rick, Lori, Carl... They had to mourn and then carry on.

"We're going to do what they would've wanted us to do. We're going to stay strong, we're going to keep going and we're going to survive this. They're the safest they can be now, Lace. Let's let them rest in peace." Jo surprised himself, his voice didn't waver a bit when he'd said that.

"I miss them so much."

"I know... Me too, Lace... me too."

A few more minutes past in silence, Jo slowed his tears until they stopped flowing and dried his face before the two stepped out of the tent and, along with the other survivors, paid their respects to the dead...

Lacey stayed with her brother as she looked over the burial mounds... Jo had it in his mind that he'd snapped her out of her self loathing state of mind and they could support each other through this hard time and mourn together... but when the service was over and everyone went their seperate ways, she remained. He lingered by the barn, watching her, to make sure... well he wasn't sure what he was making sure of, but he figured he ought to watch her, wait for her, but not crowd her.

Lacey rolled her eyes as the familiar form came into her peripheral vision, "Lacey. I just wanted to tell you, I'm sorry, and I know-"

"No." her quiet voice stopped the other woman, "No. You don't _know_. Don't you give me that, '_I know how you feel_' bullshit, Andrea, 'cause you don't. My brother **saved** _your_ sister and now _he's_ dead. Your family is still alive... I lost two thirds of mine and then some." Lacey took her eyes away from the graves to look at the startled woman beside her, "So, don't give me any of that false sympathy of yours... dumb bitch." she walked away, leaving Andrea awestruck and offended.

Jo could see the look on Andrea's face, and the look on Lacey's as she walked toward him but not slowing down when she passed him.

"Where's the booze." she said as he caught up to her.

"It's all gone. From that other night, remember?"

"Huh... Well then, I suppose I'll just have to do what we Black's do best... from Dad's side I mean." she said when she paused in the middle of the camp then start for the side of the farm where the animals were kept.

"What do you mean, Lace?"

"Didn't you know, Jo? We have the inherited ability to find a bar with only our feet. Classy stuff." she flashed something that might've been considered a grin before jogging off to the horse stalls and no less than half a minute after riding off in the direction of the small town Glenn and Maggie had gone to for medical supplies. Jo sighed when he saw she hadn't even taken the time to put a saddle on the animal, or grab her bag, or even say 'bye' or when she was coming back. Bare back. Her knife and sword were all she took with her, and only then it was because they were attached to her. She was capable, but during a time like this... in the state that she's in... no time to spare to drink the pain away, drink until you forget everything... drink until you can't feel anything at all. He had to tell Rick, somebody, anybody...

'_Georgia's not a bad place... aside from this weather, it's pretty nice. Country air, greenry and what not..._' Lacey's thoughts were random as she rode into town, though her objective was very clear to her, and upon finding Hershel's car parked in front of a building she knew she was in the right place.

Generally not a pro with knots, she went to tie the horse to the porch of the establishment and whatever stayed would be good enough. "Be back soon. Just need to toss back a few, clear my head, ya know?" she spoke to the horse and gave his shoulder a pat before heading to the front door and opening it easily.

Most bars were dimly lit, the ones Lacey went to anyway, but this one was more than that. It was almost like walking into a basement with just the light from the doorway to guide her. The glass of the windows were cloudy with grime from months of being abandoned. Her eyes adjusted and she saw Hershel, his back was to her from where he sat at the bar, slightly hunched over. He'd already begun.

Her boots thumped loudly but the old man didn't turn or even flinch. When she passed him and rounded the corner of the bar he finally raised his glance to see it was her and not someone to come and try and drag him back home. He knew she was just as stricken as he was. She planted her hands on the counter top and looked at him with something between a grimace and forced cheerfullness, "Welcome to Black's Pub, what can I get you, sir?" she asks in an enthusiastic voice then starts to rummage the store cupboards beneath the counter. After a minute of coming dry, literally, with each bottle she found, a golden goose egg presented itself to her, a bottle of whiskey, dusty and unopened. '_Score_.'

"Just what the doctor ordered." she mummbled and took the top off, bypassing a glass, she tipped it back and took a good heavy swig. A large shiver ran through her and she made a 'uggh!' sort of groan as her face scrunched before set the bottle down and stared at it.

A silence came over the bar, much like the one that had come over her and her brother not an hour or so ago. Lacey glanced around behind her in search of a seat. A tall stool is sat in the corner. She replaced it closer to the bar, across from Hershel. "Sorry about your brothers...and your kids." he said and downed the rest of his drink from the glass.

Lacey raised her hand to silence him and to stop him from pouring more into his glass, instead she took the bottle herself and poured some into his glass for him, going along with her bartender charade. She set the bottle down and shrugged.

"Sorry about yours... but you know how things are. These days, some things can't be cured with medicine or time." she sighed, "Just a bullet to the brain." she sniffed and took another large swig from her own bottle.

For a while the two drank in silence. Overcome with grief and regret. "Ya know. There was always that fear that it would happen. That they- one of us- would get bit, die and turn into them and kill the rest of the group. The bite going unreported and death being quick of course... but it doesn't happen like that. And it's not like the bite matters at all, I mean- 'cause, you understand, you're a man of science," she chuckled to herself, repeating something that had been sad to her a while ago, but she continued on with her statement previous, "Once it happens you know and it's this... horrible, grueling count down, to death, then to reanimating... They're lucky they bled out so quickly. I wouldn't have been able to stand it, watching them in pain, suffering... I was always scared about it... but then at the same time I never expected it to happen... ya know? Just like car accidents or kidnapping..." she looked to Hershel who just nodded, and it wasn't a lie, he'd seen it all, he saw exactly what she described. There wasn't anyone else who Lacey could truly sympathize with except for Hershel.

"But it happened... they're gone... it's done... Happened, gone, done."

She was half way through the 40 ounces when the door was kicked in, the light shined brightly and Lacey squinted for a moment before seeing two silhoettes in the doorway, figures she recognized.

"Welcome!" Lacey called, she was definitely drunk, there was no doubt about that in anyones mind, "Black's Pub. What can I get you fellas?" she slurred and spun around in search for glasses, but not before taking another sip from her precious bottle. The door closed and Rick and Glenn moved through the bar and toward its only patrons, one who was incredibly drunk and amazingly still functioning, the other, sipping and sulking.

"You two gents seem friendly enough. Whiskey, on the house." she says and pours, well, tries to pour whiskey into the glasses as Glenn and Rick approach. She notices the spill and lets out a dramatic gasp, "Don't worry, I've got it." she said and ducked her head down to put her mouth on the counter top, but Glenn was quick to stop her before she slurped up the liquid on the filthy counter top. Normally Lacey would be concerned about germs, later she would be thankful for Glenn stopping her before she did such a gross thing, but drunk Lacey just wanted to get as drunk as possible and pass out, drink the pain away.

"Lacey." Glenn mummbled in a worried tone and took the bottle from her grasp before guiding her to the stool, "Ease up a little. Pace yourself." he said.

"You bet, Sulu." she saluted with a watery smile. Glenn rolled his eyes, ignoring what she said and putting it to the emmense amount of booze that was in her system, and looked to Rick.

What she anticipated to come was a talking down and some kind of pep talk from Rick. She thought it weird, talking down then back up, then she'd just be back to square one, which was extrememly drunk, but not quite drunk enough. She was already having a hard time concentrating, let alone staying atop the stool that seemed to have some kind of earthquake/hurricane setting on it, so she was focused on clutching onto her surroundings, craving solid ground and for the world to spin a little slower, if that wasn't too much damn trouble.

"Lacey, you listenin' to me?"

She jerked her head in the direction the voice had come from, beside Hershel, Rick. '_Oh yeeah_', she recalled he and Glenn had come into the bar earlier, was it five minutes ago? Or an hour ago?

"Sorry?" she shook her head, "I'm having a personal problem with this stationary rollercoaster, what's up?"

It wasn't even chuckle worthy, the way her eyes were swimming, she couldn't settle on one thing, let alone keep her eye lids up. Her limbs were shaking, and just as she said, she was very dizzy. This wasn't a funny drunk Lacey, she was far gone. Too far gone. She wasn't drinking for a laugh, she was drinking to forget.

"I know this is hard for you, Lacey. Your brothers were two of the best men I've ever had the honor of knowing. Lori was close with Robert, and Shane and Ben were... well they were close too. They feel your pain, we all feel the pain of your loss, Lacey. But trying to drown your feelings like this. You're only hurting yourself and those around you." Rick summed up what he'd said, not wanting to go through that speech again, and just going with the key points. He was actually hoping she would pass out soon and they could just carry her back to the car and take her home, done and done. But then that would be too easy. Her face twisted up, though her eyes weren't able to focus on one particular figure she was glaring at what ever it was that would cross her vision.

"You were all _close_ with my brothers? I grew up with those jerks. The first 5 years of my life I was forced into horrific matching outfits with Robbie, and for the last 10 years of my life he's been my outfit coordinator. And Ben," she snorted, "soldier, party boy, play boy, alcoholic, strict as hell overbearing asshole who scared away half my boyfriends until I was 24, everybody out of the house it's the end of the world- I know what I'm doing, you can't have that dog, you stay away from that Dixon boy because I said so, oh I love you little sis- I'll always have you back... in that _exact_ order. A guy with a thousand faces... You didn't know them... They're my blood... You'll never know what it's like until it happens to you..." she hopped off her stool and started searching for a new bottle, something else, maybe something fruity. But she was pulled back, again.

"You've got your girls, Sam and Jo back there, Lace. Lori, Amy, Carol, Maggie, they're all worried sick about you. They look up to you. You're a leader, like me. You can't just let the people you guide go, they look to you, they need you." Rick said.

"Yeah, well then, I'm sure they can understand that _Leader_ _Lacey_ needs a day off, loss in the family, ya know..."

There was a pause where Rick shook his head, shaking off her comments and searching his mind for something else to try and convince her to come back right now. He'd already reached Hershel, the white haired man looked on at her sympathetically, but at the same time pleadingly, almost asking her to find the strength in herself like he had, what little of it there was left, it was enough to make him turn over his glass and call it quits (again) and return back to the farm. But she wasn't quite ready.

"I gotta pee. Don't try and hide the booze from me, I _will_ find it." Lacey stumbled along through the back hall of the bar. Through half lidded eyes and unfaithful steps she tried to locate the bathrooms. She squinted, through the darkness and the blur that had taken over her vision and found a swinging door with swirly writing on it. The paint was old and chipping off, but from what she could assume with her intoxicated brain she'd found what she was looking for. She pushed through and found some stalls, whether they were for women or men she wasn't sure, but did it really matter these days?

No matter how drunk she was she'd never rest her rear end on a public toilet seat, right now was definitely no exception. Her legs threatened to fail her again, so her hands planted on the stall walls beside her, bracing herself securely before finally managing her buisness. The water line for this establishment and probably every other building in the secluded area was shut off, but she shrugged it off, she could douse her hands in something proof 90, anything to quell the ritualistic need to cleanse her hands after using the facilities. "Ugh." she groaned and rubbed her hands against the back pockets of her shorts as she walked back to the bar where her friends were. Friends. Rick and Glenn were her friends. Hershel. He was more of a mourning-drinking buddy.

"Time to refuel." she mummbled and found her stool again before sitting up pin straight when two new voices hit her ears. When did they get here?

"Woah! Who's this lovely thing? You've been hiding things from us. Hersh, is this your daughter?" one of the new comers asked.

A wolf whistle accompanied the comment and Lacey looked around, her vision focusing enough to eventually land on a large guy and a smaller guy, both of which were eyeing her in a very disturbing and unappealing way. A scowl covered her expression and she pushed her hair away from her face, "Who the fuck are you?" something that was supposed to come off as threatening and strong just came out slurred and mummbled.

She realized, when noticing the bottle on the counter, that with just the amount she'd ingested before Rick and Glenn came and cut her off, it was a wonder she was still be standing, she was legally drunk in all 50 states. Normally she'd be puking her guts out or passed out on the floor, in that exact sequence or switched, either way she was impressed and internally having a good time. That is... until the fat one spoke up.

"Always preferred mine drunk. Easier to manuver."

"Excuse me?" Lacey came off her stool and went to hop over the bar, right fist clenched, but Glenn held her back. That was something Robert would have done, something that he'd done a few times actually, before the end of the world came to be. He was a peace bringer, while she was always prepared for a battle. She hated how many times Glenn had held her back in such a short amount of time... that was Robbie's job...

"Lacey." Rick warned quietly, "This is Tony and Dave. Some survivors from Philadelphia."

"Lacey, huh? Seems fitting. Blonde, short, skinny, drunk." the other said with a laugh.

"You better watch your fucking mouth, pal." Lacey hissed, then looked back to the fat guy, a smile grew on her face, "You know, I always thought all the fatties were picked off first. You know... easy targets for the dead to munch on. Looking at you, I'd say they could eat for weeks. How have you survived!" she asked dramatically.

Rick winced and gave an explanation on her behalf, "Like I said, we lost a lot of people today, she just lost two of her brothers and some kids. She's taking it hard."

"I'm truly sorry to hear that. To better days and new friends... and to our dead, may they be in a better place." the one called Dave said and raised his glass.

Lacey reached for a shot glass for herself, but Glenn stopped her, "I think you're done for the day."

She looked like a child whose favorite toy was just taken from them, "Wha- no fair."

"Just hang out, sober up." Glenn offered quietly.

Lacey fell in and out of the conversation between her guys and the new guys. Every now and then she'd catch Tony and Dave eyeing her, she'd send then a vicious glare, but they seemed uneffected by it. Didn't they knew she was dangerous, especially when drunk? Well, they'd soon find out, and they'd get a special introduction when meeting her boots. She watched them, she noticed their casual yet uncomfortable posture, like they were ready to pounce or flee at any moment, wound tight. They share what looked like conspirating glances and pass unfriendly looks over her boys.

"Wait. Fort Benning is gone? Are you for real?" when Glenn said that that's when Lacey started listening again. Fort Benning had been their primary objective until the radiator tube was blown, Sophia got lost, Carl got shot and they met the Greene's. Fort Benning was their hope through all this that they'd find real help, someone who could really protect them until this whole thing blew over. But with each day, with the growing number of walkers, the chance of this blowing over was getting slimmer and slimmer... Slim. Lacey perked up, still drunk and frisky, she interrupted after Dave had responded to Hershel's last comment about them 'scouting and stopping for a drink', "A drink? Hershel, I thought you quit?" he joked.

"Excuse me, sorry, but I can't help but wonder really." Lacey slammed her hands on the counter top, eliciting a jump from the five men as she continued to speak- slur, actually, "How does a fat fuck like this guy make it in this kind of world, Rick? Glenn? Hmm? I mean, I'm fuckin' baffled over here. Hershel? Any ideas?"

"Lacey." Rick and Glenn warned quietly, Glenn, the closer of the two put a hand on her shoulder.

"No, it's alright. She's drunk." Tony nodded toward Glenn, but his tone wasn't as forgiving as his words implied.

"And honestly, she's just being observant." Dave added with a chuckle, then sobered up quickly, "So, uh, we were thinking about setting up around here, is it safe?"

"As safe as any other place is in a world full of walkers." Lacey replied with a sigh, holding her head up in her hands as she continued to watch these new guys closely. Her instincts said no, they weren't nice men, no matter how friendly they acted, and she wanted to bale, get back home and never see them again.

"So what, so, you guys set up on the outskirts or something? That new development?" Dave ignored Lacey's comment.

"Trailer park of something?" Tony slipped off of his stool and wandered across the room.

"A farm?... Old McDonald had a farm..." Dave trailed off with the nursery rhyme, "You got a farm?"

The sound of liquid hitting the wood floor in a steady stream hit all their ears, Lacey eyes widened and she scoffed loudly in disgust while the others just tried to ignore it.

"Is it safe? It's gotta be. You got food, water?"

"Got coos? Haven't had a piece of ass in weeks." Tony asked in mid stream.

"I'm pretty sure I'm gonna barf. Glenn. Hold my hair." Lacey covered her mouth and Glenn thought she was serious for a second until she removed her hand to glare daggers at the men.

"Pardon my friend, city kids, they got no tact. No disrespect."

"_**I'm**_ a city kid, I've got tons of tact, I've got some much tact it's falling out of my pockets. This guy's just a tub of fucking gelatinous yuck with shit for brains."

"Lacey, I apologize." Dave smiled, but she just kept her glare fierce and her trembling hands on the handles of her blades. He moved his vision to beside her, "So, Glenn-"

"We've said enough." Rick cut him off sternly, and Lacey relaxed, she let go of her blades and crossed her arms.

"Well, hang on a second, this farm, it sounds pretty sweet. Don't it, Tony?"

"Yeah, real sweet, and I'm sure little Lacey's feeling pretty lonely on that farm too. Missing her kids and brothers pretty bad, right?"

"Hey, fuck you! You don't know me!" Lacey's arms dropped and balled into fists again, shaking with drunken fury.

"She's got someone. I mean. Daryl and you are... right?" Glenn stated firmly, but then wondered if it was true at all.

"Daryl? Sounds manly as hell." Tony snorted.

"Laugh it up, fat boy. You stupid motherf-" she started to climb up onto the bar, ready to jump attack. Drunk Lacey is Happy-Singing-On-Tabletops-Silly-Story-Telling Lacey. Sad Lacey is Sad Lacey. Drunk _**and**_ Sad Lacey is Violent Lacey. Irritated Drunk Lacey is Violent Lacey. And she was most definitely not singing on tables or telling old stories, she was ready to fight and draw blood. Glenn had got a hold of her before she could even get atop of the counter, and somehow, even though they were both aware of how badly she could hurt him, she stopped, she didn't struggle, she left it to Rick, somewhere in the small percentage of her sober mind she knew she wasn't helping.

"Obviously she's not from here, but the rest of you guys, ya know, how 'bout some Southern hospitality... We got some buddies back at camp and they're having a really hard time. I don't see why you couldn't make room for a few more. We could pool our resources, our man power."

"Look, I'm sorry, that's not an option."

"Doesn't sound like it would be a problem."

"I'm sorry, we can't. We can't take in anymore."

Dave looked utterly shocked, but then just laughed it off, "You guys are something else. I thought, ya know, I thought we were friends... Hey, we got people we gotta look out for too."

"We don't know anything about you." '_A very valid point, Rick._' Lacey had her part of the conversation in her mind, deciding to just keep quiet for the rest of the time.

"That's true. You don't know anything about us. You don't know what we've had to go through out there. Things we had to do. I bet you had to do some of those same things yourself, am I right?"

Quiet.

"Ain't nobody's hands clean in what's left of this world... So come on, let's take a nice, friendly hay ride to this farm and we'll get to know each other."

"That's not gonna happen."

"Rick."

"This is bullshit."

"Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down, don't _ever_ tell me to calm down. I'll shoot you three assholes in the head and take your damn farm, and your bitch."

"I'll kick your fucking teeth in, you stupid fuck!" Lacey had finally managed to climb over the bar and stood in front of Rick, looking up at their attacker with a look of fire in her eyes, she pulled out her knife, but kept it by her side when Rick held onto her wrist and when Dave stood up to break up the fight.

"Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah! Relax! Take it easy, nobody's killing anybody. Nobody's shooting anybody. Right, Rick?" Dave climbed over the bar like Lacey had, with more or less grace of course. When Rick had grabbed for his piece so did the others, Hershel and Glenn stayed aside, watching, waiting. With a nudge from Rick Lacey was moved over to where Hershel was.

Dave pulled his pistol from his waistband in a less than serious manner and put it on the counter, "We're just friends having a drink. That's all."

Rick's hand moved to his holster again when Dave reached under the bar looking for the 'good stuff', but he let go when a bottle was brought up. Uncapped and poured into a glass Dave started talking again, "You gotta understand, we can't stay out there. You know how it is."

"Yeah, I do. But the farm is too crowded as is, I'm sorry. You'll have to keep lookin'."

"Keep lookin'." Dave repeated, hands on the bar, he inhaled through his nose, obviously he was the man who was crafty and persuasive, especially with his words, but it wasn't working this time and it was taking a toll on his patience, "Where do you suggest we do that?"

Rick shrugged, "I don't know. I hear Nebraska's nice."

Dave laughed, "Nebraska."

This was obviously something Lacey had missed earlier in the conversation, but she didn't outwardly question it. There was a moments pause, and just a quick as the pause had come it was gone, and the next second, Dave was reaching for his gun off the counter. Gun fire. Blood. Quiet.

Rick was the quicker draw, Dave was gone with one to the head, Tony recieved two to the chest and one to the head, all in a matter of seconds. The bar was getting darker as Lacey and Rick checked to make sure the two were dead, hard to believe the couldn't be, Rick being a precise shot and everything.

"Holy shit." Glenn breathed.

"You alright?" Rick asked, holstering his gun.

"Yeah." Glenn seemed capable of only speaking in a whisper.

"Hershel?"

It was a couple of moments before the old man nodded.

"Lacey?"

"Sobered up a little."

They all knew it was funny, but none laughed, not even a smirk. Two men had just tried to kill them, and Rick got to them first, it was just like with walkers, except... they were walkers at all... There was something in the air, something that made their stomachs churn slightly, but it had to be done, they knew that very well.

"Let's head back." Hershel said, and in the quiet and growing darkness, the squeaking floorboards seemed louder than ever.

The shine of headlights through the windows and tires crunching on gravel, things that go unnoticed regular-everyday-life, but in a world like this, when a killing has been committed and witnessed, with walking dead all around, reaction is instinctual.

They dropped, though the windows were murky it was still possible they could be seen. Seated on the floor with their backs on the wall they listened, "Dave! Tony!" Their names were called quietly, there were more than 2 voices, it was hard to know for sure, but they had the feeling they might be outnumbered, and it would be best to just keep quiet and wait until they leave and make their own departure, instead of walking straight into confrontation. They had heard the shots and they were looking for the bodies (alive) that lay lifeless on the bar room floor.

Their breaths were shallow as they each exchanged fearful glances, Lacey looked to Rick, all of them did, they all shared the same question in their eyes to which he just put a finger to his lips. From the light of the moon, shadows were cast through the windows, they were armed.

For what seemed like hours they sat there. The sound of an engine starting and tires crunching on gravel moving into the distance had yet to reach their ears and calm them. Peeking through curtains, ears pressed to the wall, they weren't alone, and it was anyone's guess on how long they'd be trapped in the bar until the other group of survivors (presumably violent survivors) finally decided to leave... or found them in the bar.

"Why won't they leave?" Glenn whispered.

"Would you?" Hershel whispered back.

"We can't sit here any longer. Let's head out the back and make a run to the car." Rick looked to each them, seeing they understood, "You stay close to me, Lacey."

They stood up, a slight relief washing over each of them knowing they would be home soon. Safe...er. But just as soon as the blood started returning to their legs gun fire caused them to hit the floor again.

The voices outside were back again, they took out walkers. With guns. Lacey winced, "Great. Now there's more on their way." she grumbled quietly and held on to the handles of her blades, her knuckles were whites and her grip was almost painful but she couldn't feel it, all she could feel was the hammering of her heart in her chest and in her ears.

The voices were coming closer, none of them had checked the bar, "We're looking for Dave and Tony and no one checks the damn bar?"

Rick had his gun ready, the shadows were right in front of the door. In an last ditch effort that was too little too late, Glenn thre himself in front of the door just as it was creaking open, blocking their entrance, but also revealing there were in fact people in that bar. His actions were more damage than good, but his intentions were understood. A good attempt that might possibly end in their deaths.

"Is someone in there? Look, we don't want no trouble. We're just looking for our friends." a voice called out, but a second later quiet mummblings were heard, they were gonna rush the door, but they weren't sure how many were in there, they didn't want to risk it. '_Damn straight_.'

"We don't want any trouble, we're just looking for our friends. If something happened tell us. This place is crawling with corpses. If you could help us not get killed I'd appreciate it." More mummblings, one believing wasn't anyone in the bar and they were shouting at no one, the other believing there were people in there and they know what happened to Dave and Tony.

Lacey shook her head when she saw Rick contemplating on whether or not to speak, 'Don't', she mouthed to him, but a few moments later he spoke up, loud and clear, "They drew on us!"

Lacey, Glenn and Hershel winced. This was going to be much more difficult now, no doubt about it.

"Dave and Tony in there? They alive?"

"No..."

...

We mummblings came, but no reply Rick continued to defend his actions, "Your friends drew on us! They gave us no choice! I'm sure we've lost enough people. Done things we wished we didn't have to, but it's like that now, you know that... So let's just chalk this up to what it was; wrong place, wrong-"

The glass shattered and showered over them. "Get out of here!" Rick shouted to the other three, and they scattered, taking a place behind something solid to avoid the bullets that seemed to come from all kind of heights.

A cease fire.

Rick had fired back, but as he was reloading he tried to make peace, "Hey! We all know this is not gonna end well! There's nothing in it for any of us! You guys just back- back off and no one else gets hurt!"

A creaking in back store of the bar sends all heads snapping in its direction. Rick nods for Glenn to go. Lacey looks around, she brought knives to a gun fight, what use was she? She listened to the deafeningly quiet air before scurrying along the floor and back to where Rick was.

"What are you doing?" he hisses.

"You told me to stay close to you, though I'm not sure how much help I'll be, I can't exactly deflect bullets with these things, I must have missed that day of class where they taught ninja technique."

"You need to take a gun."

"You know I'm garbage with them."

"The shot gun, you're better with it, I've seen it."

Lacey pursed her lips, eyes twitching into a glare, "Damn you and your inoppurtune complimentary moments, you Georgian bastard."

"When Glenn comes back, you-"

The boom shook them all momentarily, "Glenn!"

"I'm alright!" his muffled reply came. The three in the bar room gathered together, Rick formulating another plan.

"I'll hold 'em here. Lace, you're gonna have to use this and cover me. Hershel, you cover Glenn. See if you can make it to your car. Tell him to pull up back, we'll run for it. An' get the hell out of here."

"You want me to cover Glenn."

"You missed all that gun training. Could've come in handy now."

"No, I can shoot, just don't like too." Hershel checked his piece before moving along, following instruction.

"This is a bad idea." Lacey grumbled, staring at the pistol in her hand, "What if I shoot you? I can- I can figure something else out, like... like, uhm."

"You keep brainstorming."

A shot fired, Rick responds quickly, leaving Lacey behind unintentionally. Believing she was trailing behind him the whole time, like he told her too. But she wasn't, she was standing in the middle of the bar thinking of any other weapon instead of a gun she could use. More shoots fired. She barely registers the sounds, the gun shots or the groaning of walkers that was progressively becoming louder and louder with each second.

"Lacey!"

She gasped, "Idea." and started at a run toward the bar and hopped to lean over the edge of the counter top. She rummaged through the dark, she couldn't rely on her hands to find what she was looking for, but by the weight of what she grabbed she figured it might work. Matches, a lighter, anything. She found a lighter, nearly empty, but it would have to do. Old bar towels, dried up and dusty, yes.

"I hope this works." she haphazardly carried three bottles, some rags and the lighter as she made her way through the back of the bar and found Hershel shooting at the walkers who were tearing up one of the offending men that had shot at them. There was an agonizing scream in the air, and it wasn't the guy getting devoured.

She did it like how she'd seen it in movies. The rag was alight and she tossed it as the group of walkers feeding on the man on the ground.

"Huh. Sort of worked." Lacey shrugged, still inebriated, though she felt sober, she watched as one walker that became ignited moaned in what seemed to be agitation and tried to walk away from the fire that was attached to it, and in doing so caught a few others aflame, eventually creating a domino effect and bringing some morbid visual truth to the phrase 'spreading like wild fire'.

She nearly slapped her knee as she let out a loud bark of a laugh, "That's pretty effective."

"Lacey! A little help!" Glenn called and she saw the walkers were coming from all around. She also saw the source of the screaming. A boy had impaled his leg on a wrought iron fence spike, but she ignored it. Rick and Hershel were taking care of it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Glenn shouted over the blast from his shot gun as he watched her light the rag in the bottle. She tossed it, then did the same with the remaining bottle. Creating a sort of firewall between the walkers and them. The same sort of effect was caused, walker torches wandering around trying to escape the flame, while also emitting an ungodly stench in the air.

"Lacey! We need to leave! Get in the back! Try and slow the bleeding!" Rick called to her as he and Hershel carried the boy to the SUV.

"Did you just rip his leg off of it?" she asked, seeing that the boys leg was still whole, but was bleeding much more than before, a gaping wound where the piece of iron used to be. It was definitely not going to heal correctly.

Her question went unanswered though, and as she looked around at her surroundings, evidence of a shoot out, small fires around the bar, and the horse- The horse! "What about the horse!" she shouted.

"Untie him! He'll find his way back home! C'mon!" Hershel said.

Lacey did as he said, mummbling a 'see you at home' to the horse before sprinting to the SUV where the hatchback was open and Glenn was urging her to get in. She jumped in, a little less than careful of the bleeding and screaming boy that squirming around in the trunk space they were going to have to share for the next few miles. The door slammed shut and Glenn got in and they were roaring off a second later.

Without proper medical supplies at hand Lacey had to make a tourniquet with what ever she could find. That of which being the dark toned, long sleeved plaid shirt she wore over her tank top. It was her attempt at funerary garb, one of Jo's shirt she'd stolen from his bag a week ago and thought he wouldn't miss it too badly, but now that it was going to be tore to strips and soaked in blood, she had a feeling he might be a little cross when he found out... if he ever did.

She ripped the sleeves and tied them together before putting the material above and around the gushing wound on the boys leg, he wailed before she even started sinching it and making the knot.

"Gah! Shut your gob, kid. I'll helping you!"

She tied it tight, blood covered her hands and she grimaced as the kid shrieked, "He should've passed out by now!" she called over the sound that was creating a horrible pounding in her skull, and just a second or so after she announced it it came true, the kid fell quiet and limp.

"We need to blindfold him. He can't know where we are or how we got there. You have anything else back there to cover his eyes, Lace?"

"Yeah," she shrugged and ripped the rest of the shirt to shreds before tying a strip around his head to shield his vision when he woke up.

She shifted away from the kid and leaned against the row of seats in front of her, "So, uhh, this kid was shooting at us, right?"

"Right." Hershel supplied.

"So why are we helping him?"

"It's the right thing to do." Rick stated, and though they weren't too sure, they knew he was right. But even more so they knew they were in trouble...

Lacey climbed over the row of seats and sat beside Glenn. The rest of the ride was quiet aside from Rick and Hershel explaining he'd treat the boys wound immediately and Rick would think of what exactly to do with him after he was healed up, the sky was lightening the slightest bit with every mile they drove. It had been a very long day.

They rolled back onto Hershel's land at dawn. Lacey, fighting sleep, stepped out of the car and walked straight toward the tents. Drunk and tired, that's all she was. Jo carrying Honey, with Amy, Sam and Erin trailing behind closely rushed her, pummeling her with questions to which she didn't even seem to be hear at all. The only sign that she's among the conscious for the time being was when she plucked Honey from her little brother's arms, took Erin's hand and motioned for Sam to follow as she continued toward the camp. She managed her way to her tent, with some help from Sam, and with out a word to any of the girls she proceeded to pass out. The girls, just plain glad to have Lacey back, safe and sound, lay down next to her, and eventually drift off too. It'd been a very long day. Too long...

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>


	49. 24 point 5

_The trek to the place Daryl was camping at was a long ways from the farm, but Lori kept on, and finally found him working away at the bark of a stick with his knife. Him being the one of the capable still left in camp she went to him, and explained the situation, "Hershel and Lacey are down at the bar in town and Beth's in some kind of catatonic shock."_

_"Yeah. So what?" he didn't take time to look away from his work, his wall of defense was building its way back up again, no one would be able to get through this time._

_"So, they're our only actual medical professionals. Rick and Glenn went for them, but we need them now, so I need you to run into town real quick and bring them back."_

_When he didn't respond she called his name, unbelieving of how childish he was being and uncaring about a girl she knew he had feelings for._

_"Your bitch went window shoppin', you want 'im, fetch 'im yourself. I got better things to do."_

_"What's the matter with you? Lacey's out there, Jo said she's not in a right state of mind."_

_"So?"_

_"So I thought you cared about her, and her girls. You need to bring her back. She needs to come back here before she does something to herself, or-"_

_"Why should I? After all the shit I've been through for this group and then she- that girl, she just pushes me away and runs off, that girl I thought-" Daryl was on the brink of shouting, but he shook his head, speaking in a more even tone, "I ain't goin' to fetch her or your bitch. You want 'em, go get 'em yourself. I'm done findin' people."_

_Lori didn't have it in her to stand up to him, so she walked away, thinking of who else could go into town to get their people back on the farm..._

* * *

><p>"He's not going." I knew better than to question it, in just my short time among the group I came to know the basic points of everyone's personalities.<p>

Lacey was strong, the only one of the women brave enough to take a place with the protectors of the group. Lori was a stay at home mom before the world ended but she stayed true to her occupation, she let the men do the hard work while the women stayed inside and did the gender role specified chores. Rick was the leader, there was no doubt about that. Glenn was really nice, but he had a constant fear in him, he was worried about everyone and everything. Dale was the voice of reason. Andrea seemed like she was trying to prove something, like she wasn't weak, but I'm not sure what event had happened to cause her to act like this now. Arrogant, in a way. Like Shane. There was Jo, who tried to make the best of everything, a joking type, someone who tries to break the tension in a group and fill it with laughs. Amy, I still not sure about Amy yet, she was good with the kids, but there seemed to be some underlying need to get up and go out there- not in a suicidal way or anything, she justed wanted to help. Different than her sister though, she wasn't arrogant in any way. Then there was Daryl, there was only one word I could use to describe him, and if he knew he'd probably injure me... Sensitive. Something must have happened after the massacre to cause him to retreat from the campsite, but not fully off of Hershel's land.

"No," Lori confirmed.

I sighed, "What are we gonna do?"

"Don't worry, I'll think of something, just watch over the girls, alright? And look in on Carl for me too?"

"Sure." I nodded and headed back toward the camp where the children in question were entertaining the baby. Erin looked up when she noticed my approach, keeping Honey in her lap as she quietly wondered, "Daryl's gonna go get Lacey back, right?"

"Da! Ma!" Honey squealed happily and looked around, but then her face fell realizing her 'da' and 'ma' were missing, she gave a whine and started to squirm away from Erin's grasp.

I leaned down and took the baby up into my arms, "Lacey will be back soon, she just, uhm... went into town to get something. And Daryl he's-he's gonna help. We just have to wait a little longer."

"Is Beth gonna be okay?" Erin's hands twisted together anxiously.

"Yes. Yes, everything's gonna be alright. Just give it some time and soon we'll Lacey, Hershel, Glenn and Rick pulling up into the yard. Just fine."

I really hoped my words were true.

-_S.R._


	50. 25

**A/N: This is the 50th chapter. Good lord. 22,000+ hits. 59 Story Alerts and 82 reviews. Woah. Much obliged readers! :) Seriously, you readers that review more than a few words (not that there's anything wrong with few word reviews!), like the most recent review from Jezebella Corvae, I'm really grateful for reviews like that that are like, in depth, ya know? I don't know, it just makes me feel up when I'm down. Thank you! Just really, thanks :)**

* * *

><p><em>She's Still Out There<em>

* * *

><p>{ Day One- captive recovery }<p>

She was hungover. She knew it, hell everyone knew it, just by looking at her, but they couldn't feel it like she did. If she wasn't hungover it would've been considered a feat of super human proportions, considering all the alcohol she'd consumed. Though she felt sobered up during the attack she definitely wasn't. She was tipping the scales between puking and passing out, but she still managed to take part and survive the attack, partially treat a wound in the back of a truck and stay conscious during the ride back to the farm before collapsing in her tent without a word said; rewarded with uncomfortable sleep filled to the brim with nightmares... or rather memories of what had happened the day before.

Some hardly expected her to show her face at all. Thought she might become a hermit and let her ('poor', as they said it) younger brother take care of her now. But she surprised them all by stumbling out of her tent at a quarter to one in the afternoon. Clutching her head as she ambled through the camp, placing each step, that felt like canon fire right next to her skull, carefully. She couldn't hear -or chose not to hear- the greetings given to her as she crossed through the camp and into the RV. She rummaged around loudly for a good five minutes before basically falling out, nearly missing the steps completely. Empty handed and with a scowl on her face she moved on through the camp and located the one Jo and Amy shared and entered it. It took her less than a minute to finally find what she was looking for. Something she thought of the instant she woke up.

Lacey left the encampment next to the farm house, a salvaged pack of cigarettes and Jo's lighter clutched her in her hands and made her escape to the edge of the forest. The pack was new, full of those cancerous sticks that she packed down with each step she took. All their lives cigarettes have been known as the 'Big Bad', but really, given their current situation, cigarettes seemed like the very least of their problems. One was all she needed.

She plopped down on the grass, making sure the farm house was in her sight but she wasn't in sight from the farm house, took the plastic off the pack, took one out and lit up. The first puff was the most relaxing. She tossed the pack aside but kept the lighter in her hand, clutching it tightly and rubbed her forehead with her vacant hand. Her head was _**pounding**_. She stuffed the lighter into her pocket and leaned back on her hands, nursing the cigarette as slowly as she could.

"Smoking's bad for you, you know." a voice seeming to come out of nowhere startled Lacey, she could've jumped a foot off the ground. The source was Sam, slowly, almost cautiously walking toward her. She must've followed and became invisible when the hill dipped into a low valley and moved up again to the edge of the forest.

The girl came to a stop when she was about 6 feet away from the lounging blonde and twiddled her fingers in front of her. She looked to her entangled digits then back to Lacey (she was acting almost as bashful as she would be when having to confront Shane. And for being a very open speaker and confident young girl, there just seemed to be something about Shane that put her off and made her clam up). She carried a pistol in the front of her waistband of her jeans, Jo, Shane or Rick had to have given it to her. Toting around that axe would tire her out, it was understandable. But still the sight of her, just 14 years old, packing heat like that, it just seemed to wrong to Lacey... '_Wrong, but necessary._'

She shook her head, "Yeah, I know... I don't normally smoke... in fact, I haven't in six years, but uhm, it's just... ya know, those certain times? When sometimes you really need it..." Lacey mummbled, then took another puff from it, but then shook her head, "I'm sorry, that's a horrible thing to say, smoking _is_ bad, you're right." she said, smoking escaping her mouth with every word, she stubbed it out in the dirt and sighed. She ran a hand through her hair, catching a few knots and untangling them as silence, aside from the sounds of nature, filled the air between the two.

"I'm sorry about your brothers." Sam spoke, taking a seat a couple feet away from the distressed blonde who resorted to putting her hair into a single braid.

Lacey looked at her, this had to be the first time she'd witnessed Sam so quiet, she nodded finishing off her braid, "Me too... it's not your fault though."

"Yeah, but it's the nice thing to say. That's what my Daddy told me." Sam said, and Lacey noticed a slight southern twang when she spoke that last comment. '_She must be from here, or a neighbouring state. One of her parents was probably from here, the other from somewhere else,_' she thought, whenever Sam spoke, it wasn't obvious, butcertain words had an accent while the rest of the time she sounded like she was from the west coast.

"Your dad's a smart man. Don't suspect he's still around, otherwise you'd be with him... unless you two got seperated during this mess." there was a sort of tug in her stomach that hoped that Sam's dad was alive, she just got lost, like Sophia, and they would eventually find each other again, safe and sound.

But the younger shook her head, "No, he died when I was nine. Him and my mama."

Lacey was stunned at how easily she was speaking about it. It took her about 9 years to get over her parents deaths, not completely, but enough so that she could say 'My parents died' without the threat of tears or feeling sick to her stomach. But Sam was going on 5 years by herself, sounding and looking strong and unshaken. Her eyes didn't water, her voice didn't waver or crack, she spoke about it easily, naturally.

"My mama was already sick. She had cancer, and she smoked. But it wasn't the smoking that got her, it was genetic. She stopped smoking though, which was good, you know, for all of us, but it was really hard for her... Sometimes she'd get so frustrated she'd yell at my daddy or at me... even though what ever made her mad wasn't our fault. That's when he told me that smoking was bad, he said it'd turn me into a different person, someone unrecognizable, and even I'd forget who I was." Sam paused for a spell, taking a deep breath before her next statement, "They were shot in a bank. These men were robbing it, and my mom and dad were shot with three other people... The guys went to prison and I was put into orphange."

She paused again, pulling at the grass beneath her legs a distant look in her eye, but then she looked up at Lacey, "When it started the caretakers were first to go. Then when they were gone the kids just sort of baled and I stuck around the place. Figured it was safer than outside from what I heard on the radio. But then I ran out of food, I left the home and was wandering around, I didn't know what exactly was going on until I saw all the bodies in the streets, and then Julie found me and... well, you know the rest. We found you." she smiled smally and gave a tiny shrug.

It seemed eerily familiar- the situation. Differing in a few details, though it was nearly the same story. Lacey and Sam's stories. 9 year old girls. Losing both parents in a tragedy. Though where Lacey had her brothers for company, Sam was alone...

Even now when she'd lost the companions she'd been with for some time before stumbling upon Lacey and joining the group, she was strong. No doubt she'd shed her share of tears and felt the tremendous internal pain from the loss, but she still kept on. She kept the balance between time for mourning and time for moving on, she was strong, she was... a good example... And Lacey... well, she never felt like such a piece of trash in her entire life than she did then. "You," Lacey pointed an accusotory finger at the girl, "are an inspiration."

Sam's face broke into a true smile, "So, what're you gonna do?"

"Well," Lacey stood up and brushed the dirt away from her behind, "I'm going to put these back," she shook the pack of cigarettes in her hand before slipping them into her pocket, "I'm going to get something for this headache, and I'm going to see what I can do to help out around here. Sophia's still out there alone... well... not really alone... with walkers, and now with the threat of people who aren't as friendly as we are... the shoot first and ask questions later type."

"You think she might've found them?" Sam wondered as she stood up as well.

"Hard to say. It's been 9 days, she could've stumbled along into the next state or..." she didn't dare speak the other possibility, but both of them knew what she meant. She could be among the millions that were now the majority of the world's population. "I don't know... but I just... I have this feeling that she's okay."

"Then I guess we should get to work on finding her so she'll be more than okay." the younger gave a hopeful grin.

"Right." Lacey nodded and the two started for the farmhouse, "Though... by now I'd think she's figured out a system for herself. Resting and travelling patterns. Maybe even found a weapon to defend herself... Shane thought that Erin was done for when she fainted and battled out a fever, he was going to shoot her, ya know..." Lacey explained and Sam's eyes widened, "I stopped him, of course," she added quickly, "she recovered and he looked like the total asshole he appears to regularly be these day, and... I just think he'll be proven wrong again. He thinks she's dead and walking... I think she's still alive and just lost."

...

"I'm sorry, Lacey, I just don't think it's a good idea to go out there right now... You were there, at the bar, you know these guys ain't the nicest of people."

She sighed, "I'm aware, Rick. But Sophia is still out there. She could be with them or she could still be lost and looking for us. She needs help... and if those people have her they sure as hell aren't going to keep her."

Shane scoffed a laugh before stepping forward, trying to appear the dominate figure just because he was taller, but she just rolled her eyes as he spoke, "What are you gonna do? Huh? Track 'em down and run into their camp with your shiny blades and slice 'em up? They have **guns**, they _shot_ at _you_, and Rick, and Hershel, and Glenn. You think they ain't gonna do it again? Maybe this time they won't miss... What then? You just gonna leave your girls here for us to take care of? March off to your death for a girl who's already _**dead**_?"

Her eyes shot back to him with a fierce glare, and she used all what control was in her to keep her arms crossed and not shove the man in front of her, "She's **not** dead, Shane. She can't be... I have a feelin-"

He cut her off with an arrogant chuckle, "Ooh, you have a _feeling_, so that makes it perfectly fine for you to walk out there and get shot to pieces. I get it now." he put his hands on his hips and nodded as if he really did understand, but his pompousness could be seen from a mile away.

"Just because you've lost hope in Sophia doesn't mean everyone else has!" Lacey's shout caught everyone's attention on the farm, she hadn't meant to shout that loud, to cause everyone to look at her, Shane and Rick, but upon seeing Carol's grateful, yet sullen glance she felt a little more empowered, and addressed the entire farm, "I'm sure most of you think she's gone, but I don't. I'm going to find that girl, and if you don't want to help, that's just fine. I don't need your help... though whoever wishes to aide in the search is welcome..." she passed her gaze over Shane with the tiniest bit of triumph and then looked to Rick, "I know you think it's dangerous, and I know it is too... but it's been dangerous since the very beginning. We'll never be out of danger... not until it's finally over... And the longer that girl is out there on her own the more danger she's in, and I can't sleep peacefully- as peacefully as possible, with that in mind, especially when we've personally met the other survivors that are out there. She can't defend herself against them, she-"

"Alright." Rick spoke, stopping her in mid sentence. He nodded, "You're right."

Lacey smiled victoriously when Shane scoffed and stepped away a few paces, Rick spoke again, putting a hand on her shoulder, "But I don't want you goin' alone. You get a team together first."

"Yeah." she nodded, "Yes, absolutely. Already got my wingman." she slung her arm over Sam's shoulder. The girl had been curiously quiet, but that seemed to be a customary reaction when she was in the presence of Shane Walsh. Though her being stiffened and her fists clenched when she witnessed him step a little too close for comfort and mock Lacey right to her face.

"Oh, my god." Shane mummbled.

"You gotta take full responsibility for your team, Lace. You're their leader." Rick explained, ignoring Shane's comment just as easily as the girls did.

"Got it." she nodded, "We're going to round up people who want to help right now. Leave at dawn, back before dusk. No one searches alone. Medical supplies on hand, silent weapons, guns for back up and extra rounds. The works."

Rick nodded, "Be careful."

"Always."

...

Volunteers for the search came up to 4, excluding Lacey and Sam. Amy, Glenn, T-Dog, and Jo. Depending on individual work loads for the day, the four would exert as much assistance as they could in Lacey's search for Sophia. She warned them that it wouldn't be easy, the way they were searching before wouldn't cut it this time, they'd go as far as daylight permitted them to, this wouldn't be a leisurely stroll through the woods. They would carve symbols into the trees for their and Sophia's benefit, if contact was made with the other survivors that had shot at them in town, orders were to wait for them to throw the first 'punch' so to speak.

"Understood?"

A collective nod was given in response and they started toward the tree line.

"What about Daryl?" Sam wondered, flashing a glance toward the area she'd seen him pick up and move to. It was a good half a mile away from the farm, a part of the forest's edge. No one really knew why he'd moved there, away from all of them, no one had gone to ask.

"He's not there. Went out for a hunt." Jo filled in where no one else could, how he knew, they weren't sure, but Lacey nodded, "Better watch out for him while we're out there."

...

Days progressed, while most were concerned about the weather growing cooler and the boy whose eyes were covered while his leg healed in Hershel's shed, it appeared to be just Lacey, Jo, Sam and Amy who were a part of the continued search for Sophia.

On the third day of the boy named Randall's stay, Sam and Lacey had stumbled upon the ruins of another ransacked small town. With such small population (double digits) and remote location (doubtful it was on any map) the idea of the town being looted was hard to believe, but as they walked through, it appeared that was the case. Broken windows, unlocked, smashed in doors, shops and homes almost scraped clean on the inside.

Lacey's steps were quiet as she walked into an abandoned home, the walls were bare, and the furniture seemed to have been moved around in haste, only to be dropped in an unceremonious way in random areas of the front room, perhaps the looters thought it was a good find until they discovered its weight or how it would never fit through the doorway when time was of the essense. So they left it. Deep scratches lay into the wood floor, filled with dust and dirt. She wondered if the family made it out okay... if there was a family living here at all... then she wondered if there weren't any looters and it was the family trying to drag their sofa along with them and into the wilderness or into the nearest city with the hope of salvation, safety and a cure.

"Who would bring their couch with them?" Lacey's brow scrunched as she wondered quietly. A crunch filled the quiet air and she looked down. Beneath the toe of her boot was glass, she stepped back to see it was the glass of a picture frame... She slipped the photo out and saw a family of four, a father, mother, and a son and daughter.

Did they survive? Did they die? Are they walkers?

Lacey's family of four. Three brothers, one sister. Two were dead. Two still survived. '_How long will that last?_'

"Lacey?" she heard her name called quietly, she passed a last glance over the photo before dropping it onto the couch and leaving the home. She found Sam trying to peek through windows to find her.

"Here, Sam."

The girl spun around, "Hey, down and over the next street I think I found something interesting." she grinned as she clutched her axe tightly to her.

"Lead the way."

Both girls stepped through the threshold, one smirking and one baffled, "Huh," the older snorted, "You'd think the first place looters would go is this place." it hadn't necessarily been picked through, but still, the place was still fairly stocked up.

"Well, really, if you think about it. It's the end of the world. Are you really gonna make a bee line to the hunting store instead of the jewelry store, or the electronics store down the lane? When there's no law, you're gonna go for the things you've always wanted but couldn't have. Not the things you're gonna need. I bet a good percent of the people that went crazy over material things instead of survival gear make up the walkers groaning around right now." Sam said with a shrug, and Lacey laughed, "You're probably right."

"And I guess it's better for us in the long run." the younger added.

"As morbid as it is, it's true. Let's do a sweep before we get to shopping."

Two walkers burning behind the hunting supply shop later, Lacey and Sam were rushing around the merchandise, "We have to be quick, that smoke it going to attract attention, and whoever's attention it may be, I'm sure it won't be friendly."

"Woah!"

"What!" Lacey nearly shrieked.

"Bows!"

"What?" Lacey ran toward where Sam was gawking at case, once covered in glass, but now shattered all over the floor, with a row of bows.

"Oh..." Lacey scratched her head, "Ya know, I always thought bows were those curvy sticks with the springy string."

"City kid." Sam snorted and picked up one from the case.

"You know how to work it?" Lacey wondered, moving along through the store to pick up shells, clips, rounds, and what ever other sort of weapons, firearm or blade, she could gather into a duffel bag much like the sheriffs bag that held the guns at camp.

"Sort of. I don't know." Sam shrugged.

"You want it?" Lacey huffed as she slung the strap of the bag over her shoulder.

"Yeah! I mean..." Sam laughed at her outburst, she glanced down and her eyes widened, "Check out that price tag."

"**That** is a hefty number. Now if you want it, get it, and get arrows or what ever else you need and let's beat it."...

{ Day 4- captive recovery }

"And _somebody_ thought continuing the search was a _bad_ idea." Lacey mummbled then laughed.

Rick chuckled along with most of the group while Shane scowled, "It was lucky that you and Sam found that place. We were runnin' out of ammo." Rick thanked them.

"The operative word being 'were'. Now, if you don't mind, we've got a search to get started on... We might find a place to hole up for the night too." Lacey explained as she stretched in her chair before standing up.

"I don't think that's a-"

"**Might**. I said. In case the dark catches up to us faster than we can make it back." Lacey left toward her tent, which she was currently sharing with Honey, Erin and Sam. She felt like she was at work again, leaving before everyone else was awake and coming home just in time to say 'goodnight'. She felt bad about it, slightly. Knowing that she might not come back to say goodnight one day. But she trusted Jo, Amy, Sam, and Daryl to step up and take care of the girls in the case that the very worst should happen. The comfort of family calmed her and hurt her. She grabbed her gear and Sam's, they always traveled light, with just the essentials, food, water, spare gun and an extra clip just in case, matches, bandages.

"Besides," Sam stood up when she saw Lacey coming back with their stuff, "we haven't met anything we couldn't handle. We'll be fine."

Lacey nodded to Sam, "Well said. See you all later."

"Which direction are you headed. Just in case." Rick called as they moved through the encampment.

"Still following the stream!" Lacey called back and the two continued on, walking past the gate, closing it after them and moving through the field toward the trees where everything seemed to come together and become connected. Sophia was lost among the trees, Carl was shot through the brush, the five lost children had scrambled through limbs and bushes to find their salvation. Sophia was still lost, Carl was healing, and only one of the children remained from the lost five.

Lacey glanced at Sam as they neared the tree line. The girl was a proper soldier in this war. She wasn't as scared as she used to be, she didn't let the fear consume her and destroy her better judgment, she could handle a weapon and protect herself, she was a survivor and warrior. '_She'll take good care of the girls when I'm gone._'

"Hey!"

She jumped. Startled and believing her thoughts had been heard and was being berated for thinking such things. But she turned to toward the direction from where the voice came and found Daryl. Not exactly a mind reader, more like face reader, but even then she was positive she was putting up a good front.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" he called and started at the two. She shrugged and waited for him to continue, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Her eyes widen the slightest bit, in shock and amusement, "Excuse me?"

"You ditch me- everybody, steal a horse, get shitfaced drunk, almost get shot up, start this search and rescue team, and you think you can just walk around like nothin' ever happened, nothin's wrong."

She raised a brow before responding, "Uhh... what are you talking about?" she walked toward him, "And I believe you've stolen a horse before, and your ending result was much, much worse than mine. See? I haven't got a scratch on me, and that was 4 days ago."

"You could've died!" he bursted. By then she stood in front of him, head tilted back to look him in the eyes. A smirk pulled at her lips from his outburst and the blush that covered his neck from it, he started again, slower, stuttering, "...You could've... I mean, I would've gone with you... but then... I guess, since... since you said..."

"Sorry? What? Mummbler? What are you talking about? This is the second time I've asked. And _you've_ been avoiding me- and everyone, like boys at my high school, and I haven't even thrown a punch at you yet."

"Yet?"

"I'm not ruling it out. It may or may not eventually happen." she shrugged casually.

He tried not to grin, "Well... when you walked off sayin' you wanted to be alone... I thought that..."

She sighed as she shook her head, "When are you going to get it? I don't pay you to think. I pay you to sit there, look pretty, and shoot walkers." she joked and reached up to take his face in her hands, "I said I wanted to be alone for _a while_... and I... I had to get away. Everyone seeing me cry and everything... it... I didn't like it. All of them seeing me so weak... _You_ seeing me so weak." her hands dropped from his face and she crossed her arms over her stomach, looking at the grass beneath their shoes.

Like so many times before he touched beneath her chin and guided her vision upward, "You ain't weak, darlin'. You lost a lot... Hell, if you didn't cry I'd be worried... I ain't got any idea what goes on up here..." he fingers moved away from her chin and touched gently against her temple, "but I'd like to." he pushed some stray locks behind her ear before withdrawing his touch completely.

She nodded after a few moments, her gaze becoming a little shifty and misty as she prepared to speak,"They're in a better place... safer now. That's how Jo said it. Doesn't mean I'm not still aching over it, but I'll manage..." she blinked away the tears and looked up at him again to see him smiling the slightest bit. She grinned widely as she closed the distance between them and stood on her toes, pressing her forehead to his, looking straight into his unsure eyes, "And you and I? We have to stick together. Like good parents. Like my parents. I'm not leaving you, Daryl Dixon, not any time soon."

She pressed a quick kiss to his mouth before taking a step back, still grinning devilishly. He cleared his throat awkwardly, turning his face in the direction of the farm in a lousy attempt to hide his blush, "Well, uh, I was gonna stop you because it's gonna rain soon. Figured you with your g_reat_ sense of direction wouldn't stand a chance out there."

Lacey's smile didn't falter, though she recognized he directly insulted her, "How considerate of you." she glanced behind her to see Sam was looking on at them, she waved her over, "Then I guess we'll be stuck inside until it clears up. Come on, Sam, let's head back."

"Actually, I was wondering something..." Sam started slowly, looking cautiously to Daryl, "Yesterday when we found all that ammo, I also found some bows, and I took one, and arrows."

"A bow an' arrows." Daryl repeated without the slightest bit of emotion, "You actually _found_ a bow an' arrows?"

"Yeah. There were a lot of them actually, obviously not a primary weapon of choice, but uhm, I was wondering if you could teach me."

A lot of things had been asked of Daryl; hunt for food, scope out the area, kill those walkers, look for the lost girl. Most of the time the questions were passed along to someone who was brave enough to speak to him. That designated person had become Lacey, (and recently, indirectly, Jo) though most of the group had known him longer than she did. She was the messenger. But just now, this girl that had been among them for little less than a week, a girl who fought alongside them in a battle against the undead, felt their pain and was now searching for a girl she didn't even know, was speaking directly to the formidable Mr. Dixon. Not only speaking, but giving a request of a personal nature that requires _his_ personal time, hard work and patience. Neither of the adults were sure they heard her right.

"What?" he asked.

"Teach me. You know, how to shoot?"

Lacey, recovering from the shock first, smiled smally and glanced to Daryl, mouth agape, "Uh. Uhm, yeah. I guess. Ain't the same as a crossbow, but I, uh, I started off with a bow when I was a kid."

"Cool!" Sam grinned, "My dad was going to teach me, but then... well, you know." Sam nodded toward Lacey, who gave a small nod in return, "But he was really good at it. And a couple times he let me shoot I did alright."

"Well, looks like your schedules are filled. I'm going to head back." she jerked her thumb back at the farm, repressing the mad grin that threatened to take over her face...

Lessons with the bow lasted about 2 hours before the rain started, and Sam was running toward camp as the down pour soaked her and her new, freshly practiced weapon.

"How was it?" Lacey smiled as the girl tumbled into the RV, pulling off her shoes and whipping the wet strands of hair out of her face.

"Fine." she breathed, "Should've got an arm guard... I could just wrap my arm, or make one. I don't know. Arm took a beating."

"But you did well?"

"Yeah. He's a good teacher."

"Interesting." Lacey smirked, she originally thought he was the man of no patience, and Sam would've given up after some mild verbal abuse but that wasn't the case at all. 'Good teacher' was the case. That maniacal grin from earlier tried to overtake her features again, but she held it back. The door opened a second later and Amy walked in with a coat and hood over her head with two plates covered in foil in hand.

"Hey, here it is." she put the plates on the table and pulled the foil off, "There's silverware in those drawers. Do you need anything else?"

"No, nothing. Thank you, Amy."

The younger blonde nodded, "They're wondering where you are in there. But I told them you're not ready to go into the house yet."

"Thanks. I told the girls they could go but they want to stay with me, so I'm not holding them against their will or anything." Lacey explained, and the girls gave a nod and smile in agreement while they started in on their plates.

"I don't think they think that." she shook her head with a scrunched brow.

"Amy." Lacey forced a smile, "They think I lost my mind... I just lost my brothers and children in my care... They think I'm chasing after a ghost in the woods, but I know that little girl is just waiting to be found... but thanks for defending me."

Amy nodded, "No problem." she started for the door and opened it, but turned, "I think she's still out there too." she gave a small grin then made her leave...

Erin threw question after question at Sam as they ate their dinner, Lacey spoon fed Honey one of the last fruit flavored jar food and listened as Sam spoke.

"I almost got a squirrel."

Lacey's hand dropped, a inch from Honey's mouth, to fall heavily onto the table, "_Jesus_! He's got you doing that now too?"

The girls giggled quietly. "Listen to me, if he ever tries to convince you to eat raw squirrel do **not** do it. You hear me?"

Sam laughed out loud as she nodded.

"Good. I don't care how much '_it tastes like chicken_', you're not going to be subjected to that... Squirrel stew is one thing, but squirrel sushi, no way." Laughter filled the small RV space for the rest of the meal...

Night came, the dark clouds faded into the sky and the rain started to let up enough for everyone to make a dash for their tents. But unlike everyone else who was settling down for bed, Lacey was looking through- checking her bag, and pulling on Ben's jacket he was smart enough to bring along.

"Moving out?" Jo wondered from his bent position at the entryway.

She passed a glance his way and smirked, "No, just shacking up with good ol' Big Arms tonight."

"Ooooh." Jo wiggled his brow along with his suggestive tone.

She pulled her bag strap over her shoulder and stepped outside, "Shut up. You sleep with Amy every night. I sleep with three girls, one hand on the cot, one of Sam's arm, one eye open, one foot on the tent zipper and one boot on."

"Sounds comfortable."

"You know you do the same thing with Amy... only... there's actually is some sort of comfort in it... I mean, for her at least."

Jo nodded, "I get ya."

"Great!" Lacey pulled the hood of the jacket over her head with a bright smile, "So you wouldn't mind watching over the girls for the night? Same sort of pose? The occasional leg cramp comes, but it goes after a couple hours. Awesome. The girls are already in your tent."

"Damn it." Jo groaned but laughed along with Lacey as she started for the little camp a half a mile away from the Greene home...

The rain picked up again, laying a heavy downpour on the earth and soaking through what little protection Ben's jacket had given her, "Hey, ya know, I would've called first, but uhh, you know how it is these days..." she trailed off with a smirk.

To her surprise Daryl reciprocated in a joking tone of his own, "Good thing I already cleaned up the place."

'_Thank god he doesn't hate me._' was all she could think as a stupid grin took over her face and she went into his tent, lit and dry. He followed closely and watched her put her bag in the corner and roll out her sleeping bag next to his before peeling away the drenched sweater. Concern got the better of him. Normally he would've kept his mouth shut, but he cared (excessively) about her.

"You haven't been eatin'."

She looked up at him, in the middle of tugging her boots off, the look in her eyes read out as someone who had been caught, but it disappeared when she shook her head and focused on the laces of her boots again, "Spying on me while you've been up here?"

"No." he snapped, an instinctive reaction pulled from him whenever he was accused of untrue things, "You're skinnier." he added in a calmer tone. She pulled her boots off and put them at the end of her sleeping bag, they were prepared just so to be able pull them on at a seconds notice.

"I mean, you're small to begin with, but your jeans," he came to sit beside her and slipped a finger into her waistband at her hip and pulled away to show there was a good inch and half of fabric hanging away from her, "You were eating portions enough to survive so that everyone else could have more and that wasn't much, now you're not eatin' at all," he withdrew his hand and looked at her, at her face that seemed changed as well with her new '_diet_', "That's dangerous, since you go out from dawn 'til dusk searchin' for that little girl. Surprised you haven't collapsed."

She looked away from his eyes, was it in shame? He wondered.

"You can't do that anymore. Alright?" he said.

She felt him run a hand over her hair and she answered, "Okay." with a nod.

It wasn't a demand or a suggestion, she heard it as a sort of plea. They were alone, completely alone with distance they held between them and the farm. Here- he was himself, where there was no need for a tough exterior. For a time he lost the one good thing that kept him tethered to the group. But that didn't stop him thinking about her, or watching her disappear into the trees every morning and waiting on pins and needles to see her emerge again as darkness took over the sky minute by minute. The overwhelming relief that would wash over him at the sight of her shuffling along with her young counterpart back toward camp was what allowed him to fall asleep at night, though without the feeling or sound of his girls around him left him sleeping a little more than restlessly.

At first she thought she might actually be in shock, and she'd never operate normally again. She thought she could drink and smoke her way into a grave deep enough that she wouldn't ever be able to climb back out of. But she was pulled back before she could even fall. Sam kickstarted her brain into a better working order again... Then she was sure distancing herself from everyone would make her feel better, less attached, so when they died or she died, no one would care as much, emotions wouldn't hinder anyone and they could move on and continue surviving.

But that failed too, she couldn't stay away from everyone, she couldn't not care. She was a designated protector after all, and her girls... she couldn't ignore them, she couldn't pretend that they meant nothing to her. They were her everything. The same went for the man she had shunned in the beginning. Looking back into his eyes that showed concern, fear and so many other emotions she couldn't easily place, all for her. She mentally slapped herself for pushing him away. How she even had done it she couldn't fathom. When surviving- things that are essential are kept- things that are needed. And she **needed** him.

She sprang on him, successfully knocking them both over to lay in a pile of tangled limbs on top of the sleep bags, "I missed you."

He just replied with a grunt, but she decipered that as the compliment returned. His walls came down when she was around, but he was still a man, and he wouldn't say things that would classify him as '_sissy_', as he said.

"I'm sorry." she mummbled after a quiet minute.

"Don't be." he shot back quickly. She nodded against his chest, feeling his arms hold a little tighter around her. For a moment she felt blissful. Like she and Daryl had met under less crazy circumstances, life was normal and they were just on a camping trip he had asked- begged her a thousand different ways to come on and she'd just refused a thousand times back, but in the end he bribed her with the open-ended idea that he would 'make it worth her while'. But all too quickly that blissful moment was shoved away by reality. She tried to hold onto the thought, the dream but it slipped through her fingers and she sighed.

Normal. She never considered her life exactly normal. Living with three brothers, one a court house security officer, one a cashier at a grocery store- toeing the line of promotion, and the other a student at the university she went to, though instead of going toward medicine he favored English, wanting to become a college English professor, none of them could understand why but they were supportive all the way. And she was a nurse, the one who worked the longest hours and brought in the biggest paycheck. They hardly ever saw each other unless two or more had sleep escape their grasp and decided to watch late night television or someone (Jo) pulled an all-nighter and was able to see Lacey leave in the morning. It was functional enough, more or less and she favoured it a hell of a lot more than what kind of life they were currently living.

A question escaped her mouth before it could filter through her brain, "What would you be doing right now if the world didn't go to shit."

"Me? Hmm... I don't know. Fall asleep on the couch with the t.v. on... news could always put me to sleep." he looked down at her, "What about you?"

"Uhhhm. Either rolling across the kitchen floor in Jo's desk chair while I attempt at making a somewhat decent dinner while Jo is watching t.v. or sleeps on the couch with his face in his laptop, Ben's asleep in his bed, and Rob closing up at the store. O_oo_r, hanging out with Carl, helping him with his homework while Lori makes a more than decent dinner."

"You really are good friends with them."

Lacey smiled, "Yeah...", then another question popped into her head, "Where were you when it started...?"

"Work. You?"

"I was at home with Jo. He just started summer break and I was off for the week it. At the hospital we had a lot of people coming in with high fevers and a ton of reports of bites... but, uhm, I had a lot of vacation time built up but I never took it, so my supervisor told me to take a week off, said she'd bar me from the building if she had to..." she laughed lightly, "Shane said they gunned down all the doctors and nurses at Harrison Memorial, the hospital Rick was in. They probably did that to all staff in medical centers, thinking that we contracted it from direct contac... Would've happened to me too if I wasn't forced to go on vacation... what a way to relax, huh?"

A shiver ran through her and the sound of the rain picking up pelted heavily against the tent.

He could feel the goosebumps rise along her flesh, "You're freezin'."

"Got a little soaked on the way here, it's fine." she shrugged and tried to get more comfortable, but he was already sitting up. She remained laying down as if defeated and glanced at him from the side of her eye.

"Health ain't somethin' you can shrug off, princess, not durin' these times."

"F_i_ne." she smirked smally and turned onto her back, spreading her arms out, "_Doctor_. Do with me what you will."

"Your clothes are gonna have to come off." he explained as leaned over her and pulled at the button and zipper of her lose fitting jeans.

"Ya know, I never played doctor as a kid, but is this generally how it went?" she wondered as she let him pull away her wet jeans.

He snorted, "Fuck if I know." And she remembered the few stories he'd told her about his childhood. He wasn't the most popular kid, among the school yard or his own home.

"Aww," she cooed as he pulled on her wrists to sit her up and pull off her shirt, "I would've played doctor with you."

"You would've kicked my ass first." he noted with a chuckle.

"Hey," she pointed at him, distracted for a few moments when he took off his own shirt, her entire train of thought derailed and crashed when she saw his smirk as he started working at his belt, "Uhm," her throat was dry and her mouth watered but she shook it off and dropped her hand when she realized she was still pointing at him, "I didn't start kicking ass until middle school. Before that I was a total sweetheart."

"Unbelievable." he mummbled against her neck as he eased them both down onto the sleeping bags again. She withheld any sound when his lips kissed along her neck and shoulder while his hand moved down along her stomach.

"Well," her voice gave a shake, "believe it. There was this-" an abrupt moan stopped her from speaking, her hands grabbed for his shoulders and suppressed the responding arch in her back, "-this boy, five floors down in our building. He had a crush on me."

Daryl lifted his head away from her neck to raise a brow, "I bet everyone's had a crush on you. Just too scared to approach you."

"Because I'd kick their ass. Yeah, yeah." she rolled her eyes, but a half a second later her breath left her in a gust. In a compromising position, such as the one she was in, all it took was a twitch of his finger to gain leverage over her again.

"_No_," he responded to her comment as he looked over her, breathless, because of him, a smirk threatened to take over his face but he kept it away, and leaned down to capture her mouth with his. He almost forgot he was trying make a point about something, but what?... '_Her!_' the thought struck him just in time with her hand grabbing him through his underwear. Her, he was trying to explain she wasn't just some warrior, or a bitch, a basket case, or some sad, weak girl that everyone felt pity for. She didn't have to prove anything, because no matter what, the thought that was taking over his head for most of the day, to him- he pulled away just enough to speak, "Because you're perfect."

She wasn't given any room to contradict him, just as soon as he had whispered those words against her lips he covered them up with his own again.

The rain fell harder as final clothe barriers were tossed aside and the best way Daryl knew how to warm Lacey up was put into action. Sounds of rapture disappeared into cracks of thunder.

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><p><strong>AN: I am perfectly aware that sushi is raw fish/seafood, but for joking/ranting purposes 'squirrel sushi' was said. I know some people get a little picky about certain things, so I just wanted to clear things up before they got murky. And I realized that sometimes I've been using the wrong there/their/they're and I feel like SUCH a moron, I mean, it's embarrassing, UGH! Grammar.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.**


	51. 25 point 5

I don't want to kill myself... but I... I feel like I _want_ to die... just be done, ya know? It's just all the hurt, all the horrible, cripling pain that's taken over me, it's so much. It's too much, actually. And I just- I can't handle it, I thought I could. Walking out with Sam every day searching for Sophia, I thought it would be enough to distract me. When I killed those walkers at the hunting store I thought it would give some relief, but it didn't. And then being back on speaking terms (and physical terms) with Daryl, I thought it cured it. My ultimate distraction. Him. But it's only worse.

Every night since the barn opened (since Shane hacked at the lock and chain and set them loose) and-  
>Since that day, nightmares have started. Not dreams, never dreams. Since this whole thing began I've experienced dreamless-restless sleep. But now I do sleep, and when I do I have nightmares. The kind of nightmares that pull the energy right out of you and it's like you never slept at all.<p>

The first one was just reliving the day's previous massacre and burial. But as that day moved further into the past the nightmares featured Honey and Erin, both of them crying and screaming for me, and the walkers... they just tear them apart, right in front of my eyes, and no matter how hard I try I can't move to save them. It's the same when it's with Jo and Amy. Sam. Lori and Carl. They're all equally horrible, but my legs never kicked so hard to wake me up when I was asleep alongside Daryl... Every time I stay awake for an hour after, fighting sleep even though I know I need it badly. Those images, the gore, and the fear, not just my own but from the people in my dreams. It feels so real... it _could_ be real...

My mind will wander to all of our imminent deaths. How could it not? It just played itself out in front of my eyelids... But I wonder about the pain and how long the pain lingers until it turns into numbness, and when vision starts to go, and everything starts to fade and then nothing... I wonder how it felt for Ben, Rob and the kids. I wonder how it felt for Blue and Blondie. Jim. And Jacqui. Ed Peletier. (subconsciously I touch my lip, fully healed now, just a slight scar, no sign there was ever bruising. His death must've been rough, eaten alive...)

Then I think about mom and dad. The doctor's say they died instantly, but how do they know? What if they felt pain, what if the pain was so overwhelming in just one second that that caused their deaths?... I don't know why I wonder these things... maybe because I really hope it was instant, that they didn't have to go through the pain Ben and Robert did... Maybe it was just a blink. They were there and then they were gone... that's how it felt to us anyway.

But I think about being gone. How utterly simple it would be in comparison to struggling to stay alive. How all the pain would just disappear and so would I...

- _L.B._


	52. 26

**A/N: Terribly sorry about the delay. A lot of shit's been happening and it's... annoying, but anyway! Hopefully this will still be enjoyable even though it's shorter than the last chapters have been. And thanks for the reviews :)**

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><p><em>Just A Herd- Nothing We Couldn't Handle<em>

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><p>{ Day 5- captive recovery }<p>

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jo wondered aloud when he saw his sister stumbling back into camp. He was headed toward the house, he wasn't going to say anything at first but the way she was _actually_ stumbling.

Lacey's brow raised high on her forehead, "Me?" she refrained from glancing behind her toward that singular tent.

_"Time to get up, princess."_

_She responded with a groan, burying her face deeper into her pillow, "Noo."_

_"Yeah." he chuckled with a yawn._

_"I don't think I can." she turned her head to blink lazily at Daryl, "I think the bones in my legs disintegrated." a small smile pulled at her lips._

"Uhh...N-Nothing." she shook her head, "Nothing. Must've slept wrong, or something."

Jo raised a brow, "...What..."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it." she gave him a meager smile and went to her tent, still shakey in the legs as she walked and ducked into the entrance. Jo's face controted in realization, then pulled a disgusted expression, "Good god." he mummbled to himself and continued on to the house.

Lacey put her hair up in a pony tail and pulled Ben's jacket from her bag, it was chilly outside though the sky was cloudless and the sun shined brightly. The world may have ended but the seasons didn't care. The material wasn't exactly durable against what ever winter might bring, but a cotton hoodie was better than nothing. It dried over night and she pulled it back on. The certain sort of warmth she would normally find in it whenever she stole it from her brother (before when simply living was just that- simple) wasn't there, though she wasn't expecting it to be there, a small part of her still wished. She pushed away the thought of her fallen brothers and went outside, among the community.

The kids were still asleep, so she couldn't hide behind them, from all the stares and looks. She sighed as she took a seat in a lawn chair by the fire and just looked toward the trees. They thought she was crazy? Fine, she thought, let the them think that. '_Just be grateful this crazy person is still willing to protect all of you._'

But then there was Carol, with a plate of food and friendly, if not slightly worried, smile. Lacey took the plate with a small smile in return, "Thanks."

"I know what you're thinking." Carol said as she took a seat in the chair beside Lacey. She raised a brow at the woman as she ate the food slowly. "You're thinking we all believe you're out of your mind. Because you lost your family and you're looking for a little girl that's been alone in the woods for almost two weeks. And you believe she's still alive... not only that but surviving, keeping _herself_ alive." Carol shook her head with that weary smile of hers, "You believe in my little girl when no one else will, and you still have the strength to go out and look for her when you've lost 8 times more than what any of us have..." she looked directly at Lacey, who had stopped eating at this point to look at Carol, "I don't think you're crazy, Lacey... I think you're living proof that there is still good in this world."

Astonished, frozen, choked up. Lacey couldn't place her exact reaction to what Carol had said but after a few seconds of silence she nodded, and cleared her throat, "Uh, thanks, Carol. That's very... very kind of you to say."

Carol gave her knee a pat and stood up, "Just ignore the looks they give you, they'll come around again."

Lacey couldn't believe how cool Carol was being about the whole- well... everything. She continued to cook up breakfast and dish up a plate for every person who took a seat. Lacey figured that was Carol's way of being strong, by not shutting down, still having hope. They were equal now, both having given the other a few uplifting words. Lacey let out a quiet chuckle before finishing her food. And before she could even think about going to Jo's tent where the girls slept so she could nudge Sam awake, her name was being called.

"Lacey?"

She spun on her heel to see the older man, with his rifle everpresent hanging from his shoulder, "Yeah, Dale?"

"Well, uh, you know, the last few days I didn't want to pester you... but I thought... well- it was just a thought, but you haven't graced us with your voice in a while, and I thought... for the recently lost you could..." he trailed off and Lacey smiled smally. Dale was a man who was great with words and morality and reason, but it seemed even he was a little nervous when speaking to the 'Mad Girl'. She wondered how the idea of her as this lion ready to pounce and maul had been percieved, but then she vaguely remembered telling Andrea to piss off, '_Ah,_' she internally nodded, '_That's must be why._'. "Unless you don't want to, of course, I won't bother you about it- and I didn't mean to bother you, but it was a thought-"

Lacey laughed, "Dale. Calm down. I think it's a good idea. Tonight, around the fire."

"Oh... oh, great." he smiled widely, and stood up a little straighter, "I look forward to it. I'll inform the others. See if someone could accompany you with that guitar I found... maybe Glenn..." his wandered away to spread the news.

Lacey laughed to herself and started for the tent that contained the girls, only to be stopped _yet_ _again_. Jo strolled up the tent she was headed to and stood in front of the entrance.

"Wo_o_oah! Sister!" he put his hand up to stop her, as if she would actually plow him down to get into that tent.

"What?" her brow scrunched together in annoyance. "I'm 'Camp's Undesirable Number One' yet I'm getting a lot of attention with every five feet I manage to walk."

"You need a shower." Jo stated and crossed his arms, "You stink. Like sweat, and dirt, and walkers, and sex." he pulled a disgusted face as if the odor poured off of her with cartoon stench lines.

She mimicked his pose, arms crossed, an appauled face instead of disgusted, "You can honestly smell all of that on me?"

"No, but you look filthy. And I bet you _do_ reek, but I'm not adventurous enough to gamble a whiff. And bunking up with the Grouch," he shrugged, "and given the rather hilarious way you walked into camp earlier, one can only assume what you two got up to last night." he bounced his brow a couple of times.

Lacey shook her head, her brow scrunched in mock concern, "You are such a creep, I don't know how Amy can stand it."

"The girl digs a guy that can make her laugh." he winked, causing his sister to scoff. He just chuckled and uncrossed his arms as he approached her, "Shower. You need it." he gestured toward the Greene home.

"I don't have _time_ for a shower, I've got to wake up Sam so we can start the search, we already have a late start."

"Let her sleep, you shower, Amy and I will take over the search today." he took hold of her shoulders and started to guide her in the direction of the house, but she put the brakes on heavily.

"I can't go in that house, Jo."

His playful smile fell from his face and he let go of her when he saw the seriousness in her expression and heard it in her voice, "Why?"

"...The porch... the yard. I can barely handle it from this distance. I just can't... but, uhm, I'll improvise." she offered a forced smile, "If you can get me a bucket of water and some soap and shampoo... maybe a mirror, I'll clean myself up innn," she extended the word as she looked around for a place that would suffice, "the barn."

"Alright." he nodded, "If you say so, Lace." and he walked away to get what she asked for. Anything to get her to relax a little bit. Everyone else may have seen her as a lion ready to attack, but she was his sister for what she really was feeling, scared and hurt. It would take time for her to strengthen back to the 'tough bitch' she was before tragedy struck.

...

"Hey you! Redneck!" Lacey shouted as she reached Daryl's campsite. A little further away she could see Sam with her bow, far too concentrated on her target, what ever it might be, to be bother by what was happening around her.

Daryl responded easily, "What the hell do you want, city slicker."

"I've got a special job for you. It requires skill, craft, cunning..." she crossed her arms with a smirk and quickly added, "Country bumpkin."

"What is it."

"I need you to guard me while I fashion myself up a shower and clean up in the barn."

He just stared at her, brow raised, his body language giving away the question 'Are you serious?'

"Look, you're the only person I trust to have around when I'm naked. You've seen it all any way, so... Hey! Do _**not**_ act like it's unappealing. You paid _money_ to see me get naked once."

"Yeah, but there were other girls too."

Her eyes widened before narrowing into a glare, "You-"

He cut her off before she could start what would no doubt be a fantastic explanation of how much of an asshole he was. "I'm kiddin', let's go to the damn barn."

The glare softened, but was still in her eye as they walked, she glanced up at him once in a while until the barn was a few yards away, "This isn't a hands on job by the way. You're just protection."

"Yeah, yeah." he grumbled, "But I ain't promisin' I won't peek."

"Oh, by all means." she grinned and ran the rest of the way into the barn, pulling the door closed behind her but not before sending a wink Daryl's way.

He shook his head as the door closed completely.

"How are you '_cleanin' up_' anyway? There a secret shower in there I don't know about?" he wondered loudly as he leaned against the wall of the old building.

"Jo brought me a bucket of water from the house. Warm water." she called back as she started to strip and pulled the elastic from her hair.

"Cold by now." she heard him say.

"No, it's not." Lacey scoffed, but a moment later he heard her voice pitch high in a squeak, and she shrieked, "Sweet lord, that is freezing!"

The improvised shower began. Ice cold water, a bar of soap, shampoo and a razor. She was amazed that she somehow made it work. She took time to wash off every bit of grim from every inch of her skin. The luxury of shaving was a minor joy in itself. Washing her hair was the worst part and by the time she was done and drying off she could hear Daryl's annoyed grumblings from outside the doors.

"Quit your whining, I just need to put my clothes on." she called with a smile.

Looking among the things Jo had collected for her, aside from a new set of clothes, she found a mirror and what looked like a make up bag. She picked up the mirror, finding a string on the back she hung it off a jutting nail on a post and took in her appearance in the small 3 x 3 mirror. Her face seemed pale but burned at the same time, her eyes had dark circles under them and her lips were chapped and void of color, she withheld a sound of disgust and tried not to recoil. This is how she looked, this is how she looked since the walkers from the barn she stood in escaped and... She looked away from the mirror and picked up the make up bag. There had to be something in it that could enhance her features, something to change how she looked. The bag had everything a girl could need in an emergency, but nothing she was looking for. But then her fingers touched something cool- something metal? She pulled the thing from the bottom of the bag... scissors.

She looked back to her reflection. '_Sometimes people change their appearance after something shitty happens in their lives. Like a make over to block out all the shitty and sort of start anew..._' she glanced at the scissors in her hand then back to her reflection...

The door pushed open and Daryl pushed off the barn, "Took ya long enough, what is it with women an-"

He looked at her, she was clean again, spotless skin, different clothes, boots half laced and- "Your hair..."

She looked up at him, dirty clothes bundled up in her hands, waiting for him to say something else, minor anxiety building in her stomach. Everyone else would say their piece, but it was the '_boyfriend's_' opinion that really mattered. But he wasn't her boyfriend, he was... oooh, what did she decide on? Partner! That's it... but still, she couldn't help but be a little anxious about his opinion of it.

"It looks, uhh, nice."

A smile bloomed on her face, and she internally rolled her eyes at herself '_Girly spaz.'_, "Needed a change." she explained with a shrug, subconsciously reaching up to touch her freshly cut locks. She started for Daryl's camp, "My hair hasn't been this short since Jo put gum in it."

"He put gum in your hair?" he didn't think anything of it, assuming it was a long while ago.

"3 years ago."

Now he did think something of it, 3 years ago she was... 24... and Jo would be 18. "On purpose?"

"Retaliation... I put gum in his hair first." she explained cooly, "But it was by accident." she added quickly.

He shook his head, unbelieving of how those two acted together, "... You two are so childish." He looked at her, all that hair... gone. The length of her hair didn't make a difference to him, he was just surprised that she'd actually done it. "Wha'did'ya cut it off with?"

"Sheep shears." she answered simply.

"Really?"

"Yes, absolutely, such a good cut, right? No! Not sheep shears, scissors from Maggie's make up bag. Is it that bad that it was that easily believable?"

Her hair hung about an inch above her shoulders, taking on a slightly wavy look do to the lack of a proper brushing. There were no tangles or knots though, and she sort of did feel like cutting those 11 or so inches took a load off of her. She felt a little more at ease... _a little_.

"_Jesus_, relax! It looks fine." he tried not to laugh at how completely girly she was acting. He wasn't sure she was capable of it, but she'd definitely just proved him wrong.

For the rest of the day Lacey sat in the shade and watched archery practice. The bow would be passed between them, an example given then a try, then advice then another try, then after a while of just that- until he believed she was shooting straight enough- they disappeared into the trees to pick on some unfortunate moving targets. Lacey had almost drifted off but when she heard twigs snapping beneath footsteps she opened her eyes wide and alert. A second later she relaxed at the sound of Sam's laughter, and soon those two familiar figures emerged from the woods and into the campsite.

"Check it out!" Sam beamed as she held up her catch, one squirrel and one rabbit, both with matching wounds that went straight through them.

Lacey internally winced, and tried not to grimace- instead forcing a smile and nodding, "That's wonderful." she glanced at Daryl, to the untrained eye he would appear indifferent, but she caught that glimmer of content, Sam had done him proud.

"I'm gonna try some other things- you know, strategies?" Sam said then turned to Daryl, raised her winnings in hand, "What do I do with these?"

"Give 'em to Lacey, she'll take care of 'em." he smirked mischeviously and snorted when Lacey gave him the fiercest of glares back.

"I'll take 'em." he mummbled and took them from Sam, she just smiled at the adults before trotting off into the trees, peering up and glancing around.

Daryl strung up Sam's kills and took a seat beside Lacey. A few quiet moments passed before Lacey nudged him with her elbow, "Admit it," she smiled, "You like her."

"What? No." he responded quickly, _too_ quickly Lacey noted, and that gave it all away, she looked at him and her grin expanded.

"Okay... maybe. So what? She's good with takin' direction an' takin' care of herself, an' it's good to see a kid like her take, uhh, initiative..." he mummbled.

"And...?" Lacey smirked.

He rolled his eyes, "And I guess she's kinda like a... a little sister."

"I think so too. But more like a little, little, little sister to you."

"What- Hey, what the hell? How old do you think I am?"

"Old enough to father someone that age." she shrugged.

"Yeah? So are you."

"Nuh uh! Not unless I was a big ol' slut when I was... uhm... 13... which I wasn't." she crossed her arms in a 'that's that' manner, with an affirming nod.

"Yeah, sure." he grumbled.

She smiled smally, uncrossing her arms, "But I get what you mean. She is like a little sister. Aiming to please, but independent enough to able to take care of herself." she glanced toward the trees, hearing and seeing the occassional branch shake, signifying Sam was practicing her tree climbing skills, "I bet it's different for you though. Being the youngest." she looked to him and laid her hand over his, "Feels good though, doesn't it?"

He gave the smallest of nods, and his lips gave the tiniest twitch of a smile. '_Big brother Daryl... adorable._' she thought.

"Boot."

The two turned to see Jo walking up on them with a smirk on his mouth and his hands in his pockets. Not even 25 seconds ago Lacey and Daryl were talking about how great being an older sibling was, and up walked her own younger brother proving that theory wrong- sometimes younger siblings were annoying.

"Minger." Lacey shot back after a glare. Jo just laughed and took a seat next to the couple, basking in the silence, aware of the awkward tension in the air- a good percent of it coming from Daryl- while Lacey just glared directly at his head. Three minutes passed before Jo jolted dramatically, as if literally struck by a sudden thought, "Oh! Daryl, have you met black out drunk Lacey? There's this tiny window before she blacks out where she gets like... _super_ Scottish."

"Hey! I learned it from dad." Lacey defended herself with a growing smirk.

"The _drinking_ or the _language_?" Jo wondered with a short laugh.

Lacey paused in thought before giggling, "Both."

"If you ever hear this beautiful mish mash of sounds come out of her mouth you know you'll be getting a slap and she'll soon be passed out where she's standing." Jo paused and cleared his throat, "I'll gie ye a skelpit lug!"

"What?" Daryl raised a brow.

"Exactly." Jo pointed to the man.

"Gorgeous language. Isn't it?" Lacey smirked smally.

"Isn't it though?" Jo nodded, "Remember those times Dad would get super Scottish and Mom would get so pissed and she'd be like 'Speak English!'" Jo pitched his voice to sound shrill and feminine, "Then Dad would be like 'I am speaking English, you bampot bint!'. Ah, good times, _good_ times." he slapped his knee, shook his head and wiped away an invisible tear.

"You don't even remember that!" Lacey laughed, "You just know that 'cause of Ben. He used to try to pick up chicks from all the shit Dad used to say... he was just lucky none of those girls knew what he was really saying to them."

Laughter consumed them, and though Daryl shook his head at their ridiculousness he found himself unable to contain a chuckle or two... The tiniest bit of jealously sparked in his brain, wishing he and Merle had a relationship like Lacey and Jo. Both Dixon and Black siblings shared a somewhat large age gap, but Lace and Jo were good to each other, supported each other, loved each other; whereas Daryl dealt with unfriendly encounters with his brother for most of his life, even during the end of the world. He admired more than he envied them. He took everything in stride- the past and the present- a new belief growing in his mind as of late, and with that belief an idea as well. His unsure and less than confident mind contended with the idea though; his hand subconscious moved into his pocket as his thoughts drifted for a moment, but he was quickly snatched back by the sound of Lacey's sobered up voice wondering,"So... No luck?" Referring to the search for Sophia that Jo and Amy took over for the day.

Jo shook his head with a sort of frown, "So, uh, word 'round the farm is you're singing tonight."

"That I am." she nodded, and noticed it was growing dark- darker and darker it seemed with each sentence they spoke.

"You sing?" Sam wondered as she walked toward them and unwrapped a piece of clothe from her arm- her 'arm guard'.

Lacey shrugged, "Sometimes... I mean, it's nothing like cleaning days were at home; air guitar, couch and coffee table stage, and cranky neighbours. Ya know, it's a lot, uh, a lot calmer."

"I remember walking in on one of those." Jo nodded, "Joan Jett never looked so blonde."

"I would _love_ to see that." Sam laughed out loud, "But I look forward to the calm performance."

"I'd say it's about show time, wouldn't you?" Jo said and looked toward the camp to see the fire was burning and people were shifting around to get a seat around it, "Looks like it's a full house."

"Well then," Lacey breathed as she stood up, "I shan't keep my audience waiting." she spoke in a dramatic voice.

"You're so weird." Daryl shook his head.

"Yes, but somehow you're _still_ attracted to me. Are you coming?" she wondered as Sam and Jo started slowly for the farm.

"Think I'll stay here." those less than confident thoughts from earlier intruded his head again, that contemplative idea being stomped down into figurative dust by his unsurety.

"What? Why? I know two little girls who are eager to see you..."

And all it took was that simple offer, and the sort of gleeful vibe and glow she was giving off to dash those doubtful feelings and thoughts away. There was no more comtemplating anymore, nothing to be unsure of- it was definite, clear and unwavering...

The crowd was all set up, patiently waiting for the show to begin. Some; consisting of the Greene family, Patricia, Jimmy, Sam and Erin, sat a little less than calmly- very eager to hear Lacey sing. And while they waited for Dale to bring out the guitar for Glenn, the sight of her chopped hair had caused a pleasant uproar- among the women mostly- and Sam was currently playing with. 'It's so short!' 'It's so cute!' 'I can't believe you just hacked it off, but it looks very nice.' 'It's super uneven, but you know- I think it's cool, it's like punk hair or something. Rebellious.' The last comment had come from Sam, and caused a sudden burst of laughter from everyone, she meant as a compliment, truely, but it was many heard as a polite insult. "Thanks, man." Lacey smirked and looked to Glenn who appeared to be having trouble tuning the guitar.

"I, uhh, I may look like I know what I'm doing, but I really don't."

"Gimme that. Kid brother'll show you how it's done." Jo snatched the guitar from Glenn's lap, laughter came around the group again as the youngest Black started tuning the thing and grumbled under his breath, shaking his head in shame in a joking manner in Glenn's direction. "Where're we going with this big sis?" Jo smirked toward his sister.

"Ben's favorite..." she said while trying to keep her mouth in straight line. Jo was always so cocky when it came to instruments. The musically gifted of the siblings. He couldn't not be found boasting and bragging about his talents.

Ben's favorite song was Hurt, by Nine Inch Nails. Though he wasn't exactly a stereotypical metal head or rocker, in fact, he wasn't a real fan of much music at all, but that one song. He had heard it playing from Lacey's room. She had left earlier, but forgot to turn off her stereo. So he went to turn it off but the song's lyrics stopped him- _'The old familiar sting. Try to kill it all away. But I remember everything'_. He found himself sitting down and listening to the song in its entirety, even playing it over two more times. He felt like the lyrics coincided with his life (though less than sober as he was at that moment, he understood the song well) and it made him realize he didn't like who he was. The eldest who somehow managed to graduate high school, who drank, and tried any drug that was offered to him, and brought countless girls home to have sex with- only to wonder the next morning if he actually did bring someone home or if it was a dream. He was the oldest, he was supposed to be the protector and be the guiding hand- or something like that. He cleaned up his act, trying to parent his siblings like he should have, though they didn't need it. He was example enough for them to know right from wrong. And whenever he wasn't a hard ass, and Lacey was playing that Nine Inch Nails record he'd comment cooly when Hurt came on, 'That one's great. I like it.'

In a way she felt like she was sort of apologizing. To her brothers and the children. There was closure now, it seemed, between Lacey and the dead she felt responsible for. She gave off an air of peace. Mad Lacey was gone and no one was fearful of getting scratched, believing anything they'd do would be stepping too far...

{ Day 6 - captive release }

"Here's how it'll go: Shane and I will drive him out 18 miles and let him loose. Lacey, Daryl and Sam will continue the search for Sophia, be back before sunset. And Jo, you'll have control over the farm until we come back." Rick explained, "Sound good?" Everyone given their part gave an affirmative response and started to go their designated ways.

The previous night had ended with quiet applause and compliments all around- most saying Lacey's song sounded like a lullaby and they were absolutely sure they'd fall asleep the second their heads touched their pillows. She managed to convince Daryl to stay in the camp instead of retreating to his and a collective calm came to the girls, and maybe even the rest of the group. Everything seemed to settle into a smooth order... for the time being. A decision about the now healed captive was discussed between Rick, Shane, Daryl, Lacey and Jo before the fire was doused, they all agreed to the plan which would carry out the next day.

"Daryl, man, be careful of how far you guys go. Don't wanna lead 'im back here." Shane added.

Lacey glanced to Sam and rolled her eyes, Shane seemed to refuse to speak or look directly at Lacey anymore, which honestly didn't make a difference to her, she just thought it was extremely childish. She figured Daryl gave a nod and caught up with them, "What the fuck..." he mummbled under his breath.

Lacey just snorted and replied quietly, "I think he believes we're as dumb as he looks."

Sam let out a loud bark of a laugh and covered her mouth quickly, muffling her continued laughter as they picked up their gear, Lacey chuckled with the girl as they started for the trees...

"You know what you need now, little sis? Some walker target practice... should be an easier shot, right?" Lacey spoke up once they were two miles out.

But Sam seemed to miss the question completely as she grinned, "Little Sis. That's cool, it's like a code name."

"Well in that case just call me Rooster." Lacey smirked, then looked to Daryl, "And you can be LaBoeuf."

"Fuck that," he scoffed, "I'm not bein' called anythin' with '_beef_' in it."

"Ned Pepper?" she suggested.

"Shut up." Daryl grumbled back and walked further in front of her.

"Chaney? Frank Ross? ?" Lacey offered name after name, and he just stayed silent while Sam giggled quietly.

"Fine then. No cool code name for you. So anyway, about walker practice," Lacey shrugged and turned to Sam, "I'm not saying we should like, search some out, but I mean, if we stumble upon some..."

The search was quiet after that, for the next 6 hours, nothing but the sound of crunching sticks and dried leaves, and birds. But then Daryl stopped and turned to the women who followed after his example and stopped walking, he was about to open his mouth and say they should head back, do a more thorough sweep as they did, but the sound of crunching leaves and sticks continued, and they were all standing still.

They shared a glance, knowing the same possibilities were filtering through their heads.

Sophia? No, it sounded like more than one pair of feet. The other gun happy survivors? Maybe. Walkers? The most likely of the three options.

Daryl was quick to load his crossbow and glanced around them, trying to place which direction the sound was coming from.

"Sam!" Lacey hissed quietly, "High ground!" she whispered and pointed to the trees around them. Sam nodded quickly and glanced upward, finding the right one and starting her climb while Lacey pulled her blade from its scabbard as soundlessly as possible.

"How many?" she asked hushedly.

"Dunno," Daryl mummbled back, "More than three..."

"23!" a voice called quietly, then the sound of an arrow taking flight and hitting its target, "22!" Sam said.

The two on the ground glanced up and saw the teen loading up her bow again and taking aim. The walker that had fallen from Sam's precision triggered the others attention, "Here they come." Lacey mummbled, taking out her knife and walked toward the group of dead who were now catching their scent and quickening their pace.

Lacey sliced and stabbed, while Sam and Daryl shot arrow after arrow and bolt after bolt. In the end, with the mass of rotten bodies slain all around her, Lacey had only taken care of six walkers, she looked to the bodies and pulled out the bolts and arrows from the corpses, noticing the particularly large number of arrows she was pulling from skulls.

Giving Daryl his bolts she took his offered red rag and wiped her blade of gore.

Sam came down from her tree perch with a heavy landing, smirking as she took her arrows back and put them into her quiver, "What?" Sam chuckled, "Just a herd." she shrugged, "Nothing we couldn't handle."

Lacey glanced to Daryl who shook his head, fighting back a smirk. She let out a laugh and put her shashka back into its scabbard.

"One, even a few, wandering the woods isn't strange, but a small herd," she shook her head, "That's not good."

"Could they be migrating? Like birds?" Sam wondered.

"They smart enough for that?" Daryl added.

"No, they can't think. All their brains are good for is motor control. Even if they carry some memory of their past lives they still wouldn't resort to animal instincts." Lacey mummbled almost to herself.

"How do you-"

"Nevermind." Lacey cut Daryl off, "We should scout the area before we head back. Make sure there aren't anymore that might follow us back to the farm."

...

Arriving at the farm, reports were exchanged.

Randall, the captive, in an attempt to gain some sympathy and not be left completely alone, he explained knew Maggie back in school, he knew about the farm, so naturally- if he were set free and able to make it back to his group they would most likely be facing some sort of war against living humans, rather than the living dead they originally thought were the scariest things they would ever face in this new world.

Along with that the 'migrating walkers', as Sam explained it, put everyone a little more on edge. That minor smooth patch they settled the previous night was far behind them now. Look-outs were doubled and tripled for unfriendlies and walkers, while they wondered what other information Randall had and what fate they would decide he'd face...

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>

**A/N: .5 chapter soon to come. I just wanted to get this chaper out quick :)**


	53. 26 point 5

_Lacey was seated on the couch, the usual spot to find her after school, watching t.v. with one of many stuffed animals next to her- that days toy of choice having been a purple stuffed dragon, something her father had picked up in London on his last buisness trip. And though both she and the dragon faced forward toward the flashing images on the screen, not a thing was being taken in by Lacey. Her fingers twisted and untwisted anxiously in her lap, wonder after wonder racing through her mind. Footsteps sounded loudly against the hardwood floor and her gaze shot to the figure strolling past the living room._

_She wasn't sure if she should ask it or not, but the question was burning inside of her like white hot flames, she took the leap, "Daddy?" she called. The footsteps halted, and started toward her, "Yes, princess?" The Scottish brogue in his voice had faded slightly after the many years of living in America, though he most definitely didn't sound American- every once in a while the children would have to act as translator to their mother who sometimes couldn't hear any English words come from him at all. But they had an ear for it._

_"Am I going to have a little sister?" she spoke after moment of hesistation. All the months building up to the day her mother's stomach was swollen to its largest, she couldn't help but wonder, and with two older brothers, the idea of a sister thrilled her to no end._

_Her father chuckled, "We don't know. It'll be a suprise- just like you were. A beautiful baby girl, green eyed, and a little blondie- like your mother."_

_Lacey nodded in understanding and sat back down on the couch, but sat back up in sudden excitement, "Can I come with you to the hospital?"_

_"No, no, darling." he chuckled again, "You stay here with your brothers and the nanny. And try to be patient." he kissed her forehead before heading toward his bedroom where he was originally headed before his daughter swerved him away from his track._

_"Is Mommy okay?" she called loudly._

_"Yes, she's fine! She just needed me to come get some things for her!" he called back and a minute later came out with a full bag of whatever her mother had requested, "Don't worry." he grinned._

_"What's the name going to be?" she pulled the purple dragon into her grasp and held onto it tightly._

_"If you get a little sister, Josephine- if you get a little brother- Joseph." he answered as he grabbed several things from the fridge and put them in the bag._

_Lacey mummbled the names under her breath, then asked, "Can I call them JoJo?"_

_"Of course you can, that's a wonderful nickname." he swooped by her and dropped another kiss on her forehead, "I've got to go now. Just be patient and soon your mother and I will come home with little JoJo, alright?"_

_She nodded..._

_Benjamin, Robert and Lacey stood circled around the bundle in their mother's arms, they were all excited about the new sibling, though Lacey had the smallest disappointment that the baby was a boy. The time of excitement came and went for the boys, already used to 'new baby' thing, but Lacey stayed. Sitting as close as possible to her mother and little brother, "Hi, JoJo." she mummbled quietly. Her mother chuckled softly, "Do you like him?"_

_She nodded quickly._

_"Good." her mother laughed, "It's your job to protect him and keep him safe... That's a big sister's job. Are you up to it?"_

_Lacey nodded again, "I'll keep him safe forever."_


	54. 27

**A/N: This is a short one, but it should be... suspenseful... I think... Ha! But anyway, thanks for the reviews :) Much obliged!**

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><p><em>That Overused Horror Movie Line<em>

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><p>Lacey yawned long and wide as she, along with Jo and Daryl, was guided away from the camp and near the shed where Randall was being held, yet again. She was running on 3 hours of sleep since she'd taken up a look out shift last night, even after Daryl and Jo had warned her against it, and currently, she was kicking herself for not listening to them. Even in the small amount of rest she got she had a nightmare- something strange though, different from the others. She was shaken from her recalling thoughts when they came to a halt with Rick and Shane standing a few feet away from the door, and the three of them standing like soldiers in front of them.<p>

"We need someone who can get answers out of him." Rick finally spoke after a few minutes of silence, but to someone who lacked a proper amount of sleep, such as Lacey, felt like an annoying eternity. "By any means..." Rick added, and 'by any means' they were all very clear on what exactly he meant without anything further said.

No one made a move. It was obvious that neither he nor Shane were going to take part in this, since the offer was being put up the three of them. Lacey and Jo avoided eye contact with the others; Jo was a runner and Lacey was a fighter, but neither of them could step up and flat out torture someone... perhaps if one of their own had been captured or hurt, but... All was silent for a while until Daryl shifted on his feet, "I'll do it."

Rick nodded and clapped a hand on Daryl's shoulder, "Do you what you have to to get as much information as possible."

Daryl gave a nod and started for the shed while the rest headed back toward the camp. Lacey lingered though, watching him rest his crossbow against the side of the shed's wall before walking in and shutting the door behind him. She'd been unsure about the whole idea of their captive being tortured for information, but now she was very, very eager to know what Randall knew... not enough to watch him get beaten though.

"Coming, Lace?"

She turned to see Jo waiting for her, "Uh, no." she shook her head, "I'm just going to hang around..." she shrugged.

Jo nodded, but he could see the awkward stance in her features, she was split, "It's something we've got to do... for our and everyone's safety."

"I know," she looked to the ground, "I just wish... ya know, we didn't have to resort to it... I mean... we should be coming together- all the living against the dead."

He gave a solemn nod before continuing on away from the shed and back to the camp, taking it upon himself to steer the kids away from _that_ area of the farm.

For a good hour she waited inside the stables, petting the horses and mummbling to herself. A couple of times she wondered if she should make sure the kid wasn't dead, but she was sure Daryl wouldn't go that far, he had good self control- sometimes. The door creaked open and slammed shut, Lacey sat up quickly, having resorted to sitting in the dirt, leaning against the outside wall of the stables, and ran over to him as he closed the lock.

"What'd he say?" she eagerly asked, but then she swore under her breath when she saw what sort of state his hand was in, "I should really clean this." she mummbled when she took his hand for a closer look.

"Said his group's made up of 30- men, women and children. Stocked in enough weapons to kill us all- twice." he ignored her medical suggestions and took his hand away from her grasp. The two started walking back to the camp, "Talked about how some of the men found a man and his two daughters- young girls... and, uhh..." he trailed off, not wanting to actually say it, but knowing that Lacey would understand. And she did.

"Girls..." Lacey shook her head, she couldn't believe what humanity had become over the past week, not that it wasn't any good to begin with before the apocalypse occurred. All sorts of unspeakable crimes were committed daily _before_, but even _after_ with the new threat of living dead- the '_bad_' people were still around. Not even the world's end could change inner workings of a bad person's mind (though it was very clear that a good person's mind could be lost quite easily in this world), it turned up the heat of her internal anger from a simmer to something of a roaring boil. She couldn't understand it. The main objective in this new world is to survive- just survive until it's over and then rebuild society and try to fall back into step like when things were normal.

But then, almost like a punch straight to the gut, nearly knocking the wind out of her- a thought occurred and she found herself running back toward the shed that contained their captive. "Lacey? Lacey!" Daryl was quick to follow, but her fingers worked quicker, putting the combination into the lock and pulling it free.

He caught up to her just as she pushed open the doors and stomped toward the slumped and badly beaten boy. She crouched down to his level and with all her strength wrenched the boy up by his collar and pushed him into the wall, "Girls? Young, defenseless, innocent girls? You sick motherfucker!" she was just about screaming into his battered face, and before the kid could even whimper her fist swung heavily into his stomach, replicating the sick feeling she'd had seconds ago when a particular lost girl had come to mind. He yelped loudly and crumbled back to the ground.

"What are you doin'? I already got what we need!" Daryl pulled her away before the steel toe of her boot could connect with his head.

"Get off me!" she shouted and shook herself out of his grasp before grabbing the kid by his collar again to sit him up, "You and your men stumble upon a little blonde girl? Shoulder length hair? Freckles, blue shirt, carrying a rag doll? Hm? Did you! Is she in your group? Did you just stand by as they tore her innocent from her? Did _you_ touch her?" she shoved him hard into the wall, knocking the back of his head against the wood heavily, that's when Daryl stepped back and understood. Her fist flew again, hitting his face in a spot that had been given a lot of previous attention from Daryl's hand. He cried out, but didn't respond.

"Have you seen her! Answer the goddamn question!" she shouted in his face and for a moment Daryl wondered if maybe she should've led the interrogation- she could definitely be terrifying at times.

"No! No! I didn't touch her! I never saw a girl like that! Never!"

She sighed in relief. Though there was a minor feeling of defeat. Sophia was still lost, she hadn't been seen... but that also meant if she was still alive she was concealing herself very well, and she wasn't in the care of murderers and rapists. She let go of him with one last shove, earning a groan from the beaten boy, "You're lucky... for now."

Lacey walked out of the shed and winced slightly as she flexed her hand, her knuckles smarted slightly, but the force of her punch hadn't busted the skin. Her hand flared with some redness, while Daryl's bleed- there was no room for complaints. Daryl locked up the shed again and the two started for camp, a minute of silence passing before she spoke up, "Where's Sam?"

"Target practice." he mummbled, and she nodded, an upspoken agreement betweent the two that they'd meet up at his camp after he told what information he had obtained. She veered off to the right while he continued straight...

"Hey!" Sam greeted with a smile, but that bright smile faltered after a second when she saw the sour look on Lacey's face, "Are you okay?"

Lacey looked to the girl, letting her bow hang from her grasp while her other hand held onto an arrow, she smirked smally, "Yeah, I'm fine. Do you still have those bandages in your pack?"

"Sure." Sam nodded and retrieved the things requested.

"You know what," Lacey looked toward the larger camp, "you hang on to those, I'm going to see if we have any volunteers today and see if Maggie is doing alright with Honey and Erin." and she started off at a jog toward the RV. She passed Daryl along the way, warning him not to touch his knuckles until she got back. She came to a slow when she passed Jo's tent and looked around for the man himself.

"'Ey, Lacey?"

She inwardly growled and rolled her eyes before turning to the person who called her name, "Yes, Shane?"

"Lemme talk to you for a minute." he jerked his head away from the camp and started walking in same direction. She puffed out a sigh and followed, walking a few feet behind him until they were near the barn. He stopped and turned, hands on his hips, with that arrogant cop air about him. She rolled her eyes when he looked away from her, past her, toward the trees.

He let out a sigh that implied he was exhausted, as if she were a rowdy child reeking havoc on the camp, but he still didn't say anything. This went on for minutes, and she was close to just walking away from this ridiculous display, but he finally spoke, "Listen... Rick and I don't think it's a good idea for you to go out today. What with the herd ya'll encountered yesterday and the threat of Randall's group findin' you, killin' you or even capturin' you, we just don't want you to risk it."

"_Both_ of you are worried, or just Rick?" she wondered, but he didn't even blink at her comment. She continued, "We handled the herd just fine, and we've been running the risk of an unfriendly encounter for an entire week. We're careful and we know how to defend ourselves, so why don't **you** go play second in command like a _good_ _boy_, and if Rick wants to tell me something, let him do so himself, and leave me the _hell_ alone." she turned to make her leave, but a hand clamped heavily on her upper arm and tugged her back. She came nearly nose to nose with Shane, that look of madness in his eyes had never been more clear, and with the pain in her arm evergrowing from his tightening grip, she understood how Sam could be scared of him.

"Listen girl. You were fine before; doin' laundry an' changin' diapers, like a woman **should**. But since you stitched up Carl and your boyfriend, and were given that damn pointy stick you've been acting like queen bee. Startin' up a search party after the group has settled with the idea that that girl is definitely dead- creatin' false hope. You're endangerin' lives an' destroyin' this whole operation!" he hissed .

Her eyes were wide with confusion and fear, her fingers pulled and scratched at his wrist, but his hold wouldn't loosen, "Operation? What are you talking about?... And what about Andrea? Just because you fucked her she's alright in your books?"

His eyes flashed with a new wave a fury, "I saved you once, I won't do it again. You stay in line, girl. You don't do anythin' without my say." he released her with a slight push, hoping she would stumble, but she didn't- she stood tall and glared up at him, "As if, prick."

He walked away, striding back towards camp with determination in his step. She shook her head at the sight, unbelieving of how far he'd actually fallen. She assessed the damage to her arm, pulling away her the sleeve of the button down that had belonged to Rob to see a slight redness encircle it. She sighed in irritaion, hoping that it wouldn't bruise, and noted that her patience with Shane had gone down a few pegs. Next time he was definitely getting a boot to the face. She shifted her sleeve back on and went in search of Rick, if he really didn't want her going out for the search today, she wanted to hear it straight from him...

"So we're not going?" Sam asked.

"We're not." Lacey affirmed, "Because Rick's concerned for our safety."

"That didn't stop us before... what about Sophia's safety?" the younger demanded slightly.

"I don't know," Lacey groaned, "it's dumb, but Rick's already having a hard time, figured we could cut him some slack..."

Sam made a 'hmph' sort of sound before leaning against a tree and looking toward the far, "Hey..." she leaned forward, "Who's that?"

Lacey followed her gaze and saw a small figure running their way. It could be one of two people, but judging by the faded pink shirt Lacey knew exactly who.

"Erin!" she called and started running through the tall grass to the girl, Sam followed quickly, the closer they grew the easier they could hear her little voice whimpering- she was crying.

"Erin, what's wrong? What happened?" Lacey pulled the girl up into her arms quickly, surveying what she could see of the girl for injuries, she couldn't help the first thought that came to mind: Shane. Going as far as to hurt her child to make his point clear? But there were no bruises on her, just a few scratches on her face from the few sharper blades of grass that managed to sting her as she ran.

"Carl and me, we went to the shed. He- he wanted to see the boy, and he told me to come with him, he said it would be cool. Bu-but I didn't want to, but he went in, and then Shane caught him an-and, he caught me too." Erin explained through gasps of breath, leaning her head against Lacey's shoulder and linking her arms tightly around her neck.

"Did he hurt you?" Lacey asked.

"No. No, I was just scared." her reply cam muffled as she buried her head a little further into Lacey's shoulder and held on a little tighter. Sam smirked at Lacey, and the blonde grinned smally, "Okay," she nodded and started for the farm, "Alright. Next time if I'm not here and you get scared, you'll run to Maggie, right? Or Amy?"

Erin nodded against her shoulder, "Good. Now why don't we check up on our little baby girl, huh?"

...

"So they're gonna kill him." Sam said as they sat around the fire. Lacey, Amy, Sam, Erin and Honey sat around the fire pit.

"The kid is a threat, so they're going to elminate the threat... that's what Rick said." Amy mummbled, "I'm not sure how I feel about it... Dale's going around trying to convince everyone that it isn't the right thing to do... and at sunset- soon- there's going to be a jury-like meeting in the house."

"Guilty by association _is_ kind of harsh... but..." Lacey trailed off, Honey was on her lap putting her little fingers through her mother's new short hair, she was fascinated by it, mummbling 'Ma', 'Mama', 'Ma', while the others talked.

Sam adjusted in her seat, stretching her arms out before giving a shrug, "He could be lying. He could've been participating in those acts. And he obviously never stepped up and told them to stop... I don't know." she sighed, the sun was setting, and more and more of the group were making their way back to the farm, done with their daily work. Lacey and Sam felt absolutely lazy. "I'm sort of 80/20." Sam spoke up again, "I mean... I don't know. It's definitely not a call I could make, but I'd definitely feel safer he wasn't, you know, _around_ anymore."

Lacey nodded. "What they're doing- what his group is doing, it isn't..." she shook her head and let out a sort of aggravated roar, causing Honey to giggle, which caused the other girls to giggle too, "I don't know! It's a difficult call to make when we don't have hard facts. Proof..." she rubbed a hand over her face, "But I do know if he touched any one of you... I'd lose it." she shook her head, and ran her fingers across her throat in a slicing manner.

"Well, it'll all be decided soon." Amy lifted herself from the chair, her sights set on something beyond Lacey, but before she could turn to look Jo moved past her chair and took Amy's hand.

"Time for jury duty." he sighed, glancing to his sister, "Still not ready to..." he nodded toward the house.

"Not quite. I'll just stay out here. You can take the girls, I'm sure Carl will need entertainment."

With that Erin took Amy's offered hand and Jo lifted Honey from Lacey's lap and into his arms, "See you after the verdict." he said jokingly and bounced his brow.

"You ain't goin' in?" a new voice, seeming to come out of no where caused Lacey to visibly jump in her seat. "Jesus!" she squeaked and turned to see Daryl striding her way, "No... Whatever decision you make have it go twice, once for me." she looked up at him, tucking her legs beneath her and running a hand through her hair, even though it was shorter, Honey had still managed to tangle it up.

"Alright." he nodded and, to her surprise, leaned down and caught her lips with his in a short kiss, then kissed her forehead before walking off toward the house. She tried to keep the shocked expression away from her face, but he had just kissed her, twice, in front of Sam- who was had a smug look on her face.

"You going?" Lacey asked quickly after clearing her throat awkwardly.

"No," she shook her head, still smirking, "I'll stay with you."

The sun was quickly setting, and for 5 minutes the two sat together in silence, Lacey's legs began to get restless though, and soon became untucked. With her feet on the ground her knees started to bounce and she appeared a little more than anxious, "Ya know, I feel so useless just sitting around all day. I don't understand why we had to stay here today, I mean, we're wasting precious searching time..." she paused and glanced toward the house, jury duty was still in session, how long it would go on was indefinite, she looked back to Sam, "Wha'dya say? We go out there and search until it's **dark**dark, sleep up in the trees and at first light we keep searching, no ground lost, no time lost."

Sam looked from Lacey to the grass, "Hm..."

"You still my wingman?" Lacey smirked.

Sam nodded, a matching smirk growing on her face.

"Alright, let's bring Sophia home."

"Let's go." Sam stood and put a hand out to help Lacey up.

The girls moved quickly. With Lacey's suggestion Sam scribbled a note and left it under Jo's pillow. The more time it took them to find out where they were the less likely they were to go out and try to find them. They could work in peace and pay for the consequences later. They grabbed their gear and double checked their surroundings before starting for the trees at a run. When they were a quarter of a mile within the quickly darkening forest they slowed to a walk to catch their breath.

"Okay." Lacey breathed and took a sip of water from her canteen, "Here's the idea. Every couple of miles or so we'll shout for her, she'll hear our voices and come running."

"Walkers'll hear us too."

"Yes, and we'll take care of them. We pick off the dead population little by little, Sophia's found, we sleep a little easier at night. It's simple. 10 minutes we do out first call out, we wait 5 minutes for Sophia, take care of the bags of bones if they show up, then we keep moving. Then we'll do it again after another mile or so."

"It's madness... but it just might work... besides, what other strategy do we have?"

"Exactly."

"And going around quietly hasn't seemed to have done the trick. So why not go opposite."

"If only we had some fireworks." Lacey chuckled. The two laughed before getting down to buisness.

They practiced their new strategy for the next hour, darkness consumed them quickly and they had no choice but to stop the search- they could barely see 3 feet in front of them. So they decided to retire for the night. Sam scoped out the trees around them as best she could through the minimal moonlight offered through heavy branches. "This one. Shouldn't be difficult to climb; high, thick branches. And if we end up accumulating some _friends_ tomorrow morning I can take them out easy."

"Alright." Lacey agreed and squinted through the darkness to see Sam starting to climb, but then almost fell a second later. A loud, echoing crack in the air caused both of them to jump.

"What was that?" Sam wondered quietly.

"Gun shot." Lacey mummbled, a chill ran through her when she remembered the last time she was among the wilderness and heard that sound, Carl was shot then... But they weren't careless with their guns, they never were, and that shot had simply been an accident, so why now?

"Should we go back?" the younger girl whispered.

"No," Lacey shook her head, "It was only one shot. What ever it was, we'll find out when we go back. And we'd never be able to navigate these woods right now."

"Right." Sam nodded and started up the tree again.

"Uh, Sam? Gonna need a little help." Lacey mummbled.

Sam glanced down, "Put your feet where mine go and grab where I grab." she explained and went a little slower, peeking down to make sure Lacey was doing okay.

"Alright. The branch on the left you're almost up to, climb onto it, that's yours." Sam instructed.

"Where are you going?" Lacey grunted as she hauled herself onto the branch.

"Just to the one a little higher than yours." Sam breathed as she settled onto the branch, "You're not scared of heights, are you?"

Lacey scoffed, "Listen here, Little Sis, I used to live in a penthouse, on the 52nd floor. Heights aren't a problem with me."

Sam snorted.

"But uhmm," Lacey started slowly, "I haven't exactly slept on a branch before. How high are we?"

"20 feet maybe."

"Oh, that'll be a fun fall." Lacey chuckled sarcastically.

"You're not gonna fall." Sam laughed and Lacey felt something brush against her right shoulder, she couldn't identify it through the darkness, but after it tapped her with individual digits she realized it was Sam's hand. She clasped her hand around hers and Sam gave her a reassuring squeeze, "I won't let you."

With that thought in mind Lacey felt a little better, but sleep was still hard to come by. At most she ventured she got a grand total of 3 hours of sleep (again), and probably the 41st time her eyes shot open from the fear she was slipping she found she could see colors, rather than the inky black that night brought. It was still pretty dark, but it was first light- it was time to get up.

She glanced up, her hand was still clasped with Sam's and the girl was snoozing easily. Glancing downward she saw the ground was free of walkers. She gave Sam's hand a gentle tug and the girl woke instantly, "Time to go?" she wondered in a half tired voice.

Lacey nodded and scanned the area once more before deciding they should make their descent.

"Look and listen." Lacey mummbled, it was still clear, but just as soon as she started to adjust to tell Sam to go first she saw the slight movement. The lazy aimless amble. She tapped Sam and pointed toward it, "Can you get a good shot?"

"Maybe. If it was closer I could get it for sure."

"Say no more." Lacey smiled and let out cat call like whistle.

Sam laughed as she shook her head at Lacey's ridiculousness, but it still worked. The walker stopped and turned to where it thought the sound had come from and started shuffling their way.

Lacey kept her eyes on the dead thing while Sam took aim. 40 feet from the tree, 30 feet, 25...

The arrow soared past Lacey and in just a blink the arrow was through the walkers eye and it crumbled.

"Nice shot." Lacey grinned.

"Learned from the best." Sam shrugged and pulled all her gear on before making the climb down the tree. When she got down she instructed Lacey's footing until she was on the ground again, the older girl shook out her limbs and cracked her neck, "Definitely not my favorite activity or resting place."

Sam just smiled smally and approached the dead walker and put her shoe against its head before pulling the arrow out. "Ugh." she grumbled at the grotesque sound it made and wiped the gore off the arrow before putting back into the quiver.

"Let's get started."

They wandered and shouted for a few hours before pulling breakfast from their bags, walking, searching and eating.

"Maybe we should split up."

"Cue the line that gets everyone killed in every horror movie ever made."

"We could cover more ground." Sam chuckled.

"We stick together." Lacey stated.

"What about just 10 feet away. Still in your sight?"

"You're crossing the line, _sister_."

"Hey, I'm just going with the 'opposite of safe' strategy you seem to be favoring these days." Sam put her hands up in front of her in defense. Lacey stopped and looked at her, and gave a glare at the miniature smirk that was pulling at Sam's mouth.

"10 feet. 20 max." Lacey sighed, "And take this." she untied the red clothe from her belt loop and handed Sam her knife.

Sam took it and unsheathed it. Lacey said, "Don't hesistate to scream."

"You too." Sam nodded, sheathing the knife and started away from Lacey.

"5 minutes 'til the next shout out." she informed the girl...

Lacey's ears felt like they were hearing a deafening ringing, it was so quiet that the occassional caw from a bird, or twig snapping beneath her own foot sounded like it was amplified tenfold. Her heart raced, but it normally did whenever she was encased in the woods- all of the trees, so similar and surrounding, it put her ill at ease. '_Give me a bustling city any day_', she thought, and flinched a second later when a fallen leaf's path made a special turn in its course to the ground to brush against her forehead. She glared at the leaf for a moment before taking a deep breath and starting the shout out, "**SOPHIA**!" She called the girls name three more times, her voice becoming slightly hoarse with each call. She stopped after the fifth call and took a swig of water from her bottle. "Sam?" she didn't shout as loudly, knowing the girl wouldn't- shouldn't be far away enough to require shouting.

In the distance, the sound of a scream, the sound of running. She drew her sword and started at full blown sprint through the thick trees in the direction Sam had wandered, "Sam!"

Her heart beat its very fastest, pounding against her ribs and filling up her ears, but even through the rapid beats she could hear it, the shriek, "Lacey!" the amount of fear contained in Sam's voice was something she hadn't heard since the girl first stumbled through the bushes and flung her arms around her along with 4 other little bodies. She wasn't _just_ scared- she was terrified...

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>

**A/N: I am aware of how very stupid Lacey's little plan is, but it's last resort, and it obviously has raised some severe consequences, going by the way Sam screamed...**


	55. 27 point 5

I've never been a nature sort of person... I'm, what I like to call, _indoorsy_. I mean- I've got survival skills, but if I were entirely alone in a forest... I'd be way beyond screwed. I've never even gone on a camping trip before- it was just by luck from Robbie's persistent plannings of eventually experiencing 'the great outdoors' that we had tents and gear on hand.

Kill an animal? The largest thing I've ever killed, aside from walkers, is a spider... you know those really big ones that you don't really notice, but then you do a double take and screech at the top of your lungs before running for the nearest shoe (that isn't yours)? I couldn't kill an animal, I can't even watch actor animals die on t.v... I'm a total wimp.

But now that I've got my trusty crew; a crossbow wielding, southerner who somehow manages to tolerate me and even _likes_ me, and a 14 year old girl with a knack for archery and tree climbing, I'm left as the total city girl with a sword, who's always been inwardly scared of finding a candy house with a witch in it in the woods.

Running- not my thing. Climbing- gates, maybe, but trees- no, not my thing. Walking through the woods and finding my way back- nope. Tracking- definitely not. Finding a water source- maybe. But the point is, I'm pretty useless without them. All I can do is... fight... I guess. What a _useful_ skill! (Sarcasm)...

I just hope Sophia isn't anything like me. I hope she can survive on her own- still surviving while she waits for us. The doll at the stream- she found water. So she's still out there. Every time we go out I have a good feeling about the search, and we come up dry. But I- I just- I know she's still out there... Dead or alive, I've got to find her... I just have to.

- _L.B._


	56. 28

**A/N: OH MY GOD! That was a very unintentional hiatus. I apologize. Hopefully no one hates me, but if you do anyway...eh, oh well. This is a very short chapter, but I think a short chapter is better than no chapter, right? And I think this one is sort of sweet, or something like that- I don't know. It's up to you guys how you perceive it. Thanks for sticking around :)**

* * *

><p>She spun around, hearing the noises drawing closer, a squeak and a squeal, then some groaning and growling. "Please no. Please... Not like this. You can't take her from me." she mummbled under breath and managed to lock on the direction from which the sounds were coming. "Sam!" she shouted, reeling the girl in, as well as what ever number of walkers were chasing her. "C'mon Little Sis! Come to my voice!"<p>

The sounds were getting closer, she could pick apart breathing of a human; quick, frantic, and breathing of a walker; heavy, gurgling, but damn it she wished something would finally come into sight. It was like the sounds were coming faster than the movements- like sound sped up on a movie playing in slow motion- she was already anxious, this trick to the senses was only cranking up her nerves.

"Lacey!" she heard the girl scream, "Lacey! I got her!"

Her heart dropped into her stomach and shot back toward her throat. "Sophia?" she breathed, after all this time- It couldn't be... could it? Sam found Sophia? No... she was dreaming. She and Sam were still snoozing twenty feet off the ground in that tree... right? After all this time, all the fighting and work- she was starting to doubt her beliefs now? She shook her head and gripped the handle of her blade tight, she had to focus, walkers were in pursuit of two of her own.

The girls- it really was both of them- bursted through the decaying green life, Sam was practically dragging Sophia behind her, hands tightly linked together. Lacey steeled herself though, fighting the wobbling in her knees from just the sight of their lost girl finally found. The relief was overwhelming, and she tried not to over analyze the girl yet, but there were things she noticed out right; her hair- dirty and longer than the last time she laid eyes on her, she was very skinny to begin with, but now she was almost literally skin and bones. She was filthy, completely filthy- the color of her shirt was a mystery beneath all the caked on dirt, mud and grime. But it was Sophia, it was definitely her. Alive.

"Get behind me." she ushered the girls to get a good distance away from her. Her mind quickly contemplating and tossing away the idea of Sam and Sophia clambering up a tree for safety, there wasn't enough time, and Sophia looked like she was just about to break- overexerting her just wouldn't do.

"How many?" Lacey asked quietly as the sounds of the walker or walkers came closer, no doubt getting hungrier and more excited about the heavier scent of living human flesh. She glanced behind her and saw Sam nudging Sophia behind her, mummbling something that sounded like 'Stay close... don't make it... go that way.' She turned back to Lacey and brought the trench knife into sight, "8." she said before tossing it to the blonde.

Lacey caught the blade with her free hand, took it from its sheath and turned back toward the shuffling chaos that was headed their way just as the first came through the same area the girls had. Lacey launched herself at full force, no hesitation in her movements as she sliced, stabbed and cut through decayed skin, rotted meat and bone easily. The first two were down in a matter of seconds, and the rest- without their minds giving proper thought anymore just ran straight to the unrelenting woman.

The final walker was taken down by the trench, straight through its eye socket, its persistent movements ceased and Lacey pulled the blade back out, letting the corpse drop with a heavy thump. Two arrows were embedded into two of the dead walkers, and she was glad to know that the terror hadn't completely taken over Sam. She caught her breath as she listened for a few moments, listening for more walkers, anything that told them they were out of danger for a while. All was quiet in the forest.

She dropped her weapons and turned to the girls. She looked at Sophia, then to Sam. Her feet moved slowly, but just as the girls started to sprint toward her she did the same. She fell to her knees. "Oh, my god." she breathed, hugging them close to her. Sophia's tiny arms held on tightly, she was surprised she still held that much strength in them to squeeze so.

"You're alright, everything's alright." she mummbled, consoling a shaking and crying Sophia. But she felt as if she was trying to calm herself down too. Her heart was hammering, her breaths were sharp and quick, terrified that this still might all be a very vivid dream. But the fear and relief she felt were too real, the smell of death in the air so pungent. The feel of Sophia in her arms was real. The search was over. They finally put something right- put it back into order, they found one of their own, safe and sound.

Lacey pulled away and took in the appearance of Sophia fully; she was beyond filthy- skin, clothes and hair covered in some sort of dirt or another, her clothes seemed to be stretched out and baggier than usual, but they were always were the same size, she'd just lost some weight, looking even smaller and more fragile than before. She had a few scrapes, a bump and bruise, but nothing serious. Her eyes had bags under them but as she looked at Lacey all the fear disappeared and began to fill with happiness, even a smile came to her chapped and dirt caked lips. Lacey chuckled, holding back a sob that had built up in her throat, "Good to see you, kiddo."

Sophia let out a small laugh in response, it sounded crackled and dry. Lacey almost kicked herself for not giving the girl some water earlier, and pulled out a full bottle from her bag, as well as what food she had. Sam stepped forward and warned Sophia to take it slow, otherwise she'd probably make herself sick.

Lacey glanced to the older girl with a smile then looked back to Sophia, "So you met Sam. We found her a couple weeks ago... Well... she found us. She and a few other kids. But, uhm, they're..." she breathed out a sigh, "They're gone now."

"What happened?" Sophia, her voice still slightly scratchy and small, wondered.

"Well, uhm..." Lacey started, but she couldn't seem to finish. Sam could see her composure falling and spoke up, "There were walkers being kept in a barn next to the farm we're staying at. They're all dead now but they took some of our own with them."

"You're staying on a farm?"

"Yep. When we first started looking for you Carl got shot, and the man that owns the farm fixed him up." Lacey explained.

Sophia's eyes widened, "Carl got shot?"

"He's fine now!" Lacey chuckled slightly, "Up and walking. Got a bitchin' scar to reel in the ladies."

Sam snorted and shook her head.

"So how did you manage? I'm impressed, but that's not to say I didn't have any faith in you. I mean, Daryl found your doll by a stream- that was over a week ago." Lacey grinned, "You're a real trooper."

Sophia shrugged, "I don't know, I guess I'm good at hiding."

"Really." Sam affirmed, "I found her in this little cave thing, behind some bushes. I probably wouldn't have known if I didn't notice the tracks. Then you started shouting," she nodded toward Lacey, "and we ran toward your voice, but I guess some walkers heard and they found us before they found you."

"You did good." Lacey smirked and stood up, "Job well done." she wandered toward her discarded and gore covered blades and picked up them, cleaning them with the clothing of the nearest deceased walker. "We'd better go." she said as she slid her weapons back into their respectable sheaths, "You need a proper meal and a shower, and we could all use some rest... And I'm sure you'd love to see your mom."

Sophia nodded frantically as she stood up on somewhat wobbly limbs. They started out slow for her benefit, offering support or rests frequently with each mile they left behind them. Quiet conversation filled the air, with Lacey answering every one of Sophia's simple wonderings about what had happened while she was absent.

"Are Honey and Erin okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine. Honey learned a new word too."

Sophia laughed, "Really?"

"Yeah, but I think she likes the other word better."

Sam had been lagging behind, not too far, but a few good feet. She seemed preoccupied, and unaware of the conversation in front of her, but when she hissed under her breath, "Ow." Lacey was quick to swing on her.

"What?" she came to an abrupt stop and turned, "Sam, what? What's wrong?" the blonde was approaching quickly and Sam seemed to pale and blush at the same time. '_There's no point in hiding it_' she thought, "It's my arm. I didn't think it got through the material, but... ah-" she winced slightly as she rolled up her sleeve.

Sophia gasped, covering her mouth as the fresh wound was revealed. Sam's brow scrunched in grief when she looked up to see Lacey's wide eyes staring at it. A scratch, about 7 inches long, not deep enough to require stitches, but deep enough to still bleed heavily, "I got scratched." Sam's voice gave a quiver, "I'm done for, aren't I?" her chin began to tremble and tears were filling her eyes, "I don't wanna die." she whimpered and turned her face downward.

Lacey felt a stabbing in her stomach and heart and instantly moved forward to circle the girl in her arms. "Hey," Lacey stepped back to put her hands on the crying girls shoulders, her voice calm, "hey, listen. You're not going to die."

"B-but it's a scratch. Scratches and bites, that's how it happens. T-that's h-how it starts." Sam dropped her gaze to ground again as the tears started to fall faster.

"No, no, no, no. Listen to me. Sam, listen to me. Don't cry. Listen." Lacey placed a hand on Sam's cheek and eased her face back up, looking into the girls watery eyes, "A while back, we met this doctor. Dr. Jenner. You remember him, Sophia. He called me a '_woman of science_' and believed he could devulge all the research he'd accumulated since _this_ started to me. He was giving up, and he was going to keep us all inside to kill us, make us give up with him, but there was a reason he told me those things, he wouldn't tell me and then kill us, right? What would be the point. So he let us go. Left me as the last person to understand..." she gestured all around with her other hand, "_this_."

"What do you mean?" Sam sniffled slightly, the tears stopped falling as she tried to understand, though Lacey was being very cryptic.

"It's not the bite or the scratch that carries the virus that turns us into them. That's not what kills us. It's the infection that causes the fever that kills you, or the blood loss that kills you, then you reanimate into them. We..." she paused, still unbelieving that this was actually the truth, this is what it really was, what was really happening, "We're already infected with the virus. All of us. We have it. In our systems. Right now." she saw the information soak in, Sam's grief filled eyes widening into something of fear and confusion, "It's not the scratch or the bite, you understand? Whether we're bitten or scratched or not we will turn into them when we die. Unless we die by a shot to the brain." Lacey explained, and in saying it outloud, she almost felt the shock herself. Hearing it said again, knowing it was reality- she didn't want to believe it, but she'd known for some time now.

"Wha... what?" Sam was stunned, which was a good thing, with her young and open mind she didn't react the way Lacey was sure a one track minded adult might- violently, erratically, dangerously.

"We're infected. But as long as we keep your wound clean, keep the infection and fever away you'll be fine. You're not going to die, Sam. You're not..." Lacey tried to keep the hysteric tone out of her voice, but with the way Sam was staring past her blankly she almost couldn't stop herself from trying to shake the girl, "Do you hear what I'm saying to you?"

"How is it possible?" Sophia wondered quietly.

"I don't know, but it's the scientifically proven truth." Lacey sighed and took her hands off of Sam, "You're not going to die, okay? We just have to clean it up, bandage it, let it heal. You'll be just fine."

Sam wiped the wetness away from her cheeks and eyes, "Are you- are you sure?"

"I wouldn't lie to you. Especially about this." she took out her water bottle and poured it over the wound, then pulled out a gauze pad, "Keep it covered with that. Put your sleeve over it, we don't need anymore attention than we'll surely get. Let's keep moving...

The sun was making its descent by the time they made it back to the farm. Out of water, food and energy, they hoped they didn't appear ghoulish as they came up to the gate...

The windows were boarded up, tension and fear filled the air. And when Rocket started to bark, everyone visibly jumped. Carl leaned over the wood railing of the porch trying to see what Rocket could see, "Someone's coming!" he squinted, though it didn't help sharpen his sight, he could see the shambling walk of a few figures. Rocket continued to bark, but since she didn't jet out to tackle them he assumed they weren't walkers, and if they weren't walkers it had to be- "Hey look! I think- I think it's them!"

A thunder of steps gathered to where Carl was, Jo had hopped over the rail, gun in hand before questioning, "Lacey and Sam?"

Lori's arms came around her son as he responded excitedly, "Yeah! And someone else... I think... It looks like-"

"Sophia?" Carol breathed from beside the two Grimes' as the figures grew closer and closer to the farm. Jo had already taken off, Rocket on his heels as he went to meet the three; anger, relief, happiness pumping through his veins.

"SOPHIA!" Carol wailed and sprinted from the porch. The rest of the group followed, descending from the old porch to see the lost girl herself running on boney legs and arms wide open as she shouted for her mother.

"You are such an asshole." Jo breathed after nearly tackling his sister in a hug. She chuckled, feeling her breath escape her in a huff, "An asshole that brings results."

"Shut up." he tried not to laugh and pulled away. He looked to Sam who was petting a relieved and happy Rocket, "And you!" he said dramatically, "You're _just_ as bad."

She shrugged, smirking slightly, "You gotta do what you gotta do."

He couldn't help but laugh at that, but then all their attention was pulled away when they heard, "My girl. My little girl. You found her. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you." Carol cried and whimpered with her daughter in her arms.

"It was Sam that found her, actually." Lacey gestured to the girl next to her. Jo slung his arm over the teen's shoulders as Carol shifted her glance to her, tears streaming down her face, "Thank you." the sincerity in her voice made Sam's heart flutter, but at the same time she felt a little awkward, "Uh," she breathed, "No problem."

Carol and Sophia were ushered into the house by Patricia and Amy, Lori and Carl followed closely, Carl firing questions at Sophia while Lori shushed him. Everyone else just went about their buisness as normal.

"Well aren't you both Little Miss Heroines of the month." Jo smirked.

Lacey scoffed, "Yeah? Well _Junior_ Little Miss Heroine had a run in with an unforgiving dagger of a branch while we were out there. Think you could fix her up while I get a breather, and then you fill me in all the shit we missed."

"Sure." he nodded and started for the house with Sam in tow, Rocket following, "Oh and just a warning. You're gonna get an ear full your hunter."

"Oh." she nodded, "G_reeea_t."

And it wasn't long after that- after running her fingers through her hair, detangling the snarls and feeling through the grime. Taking a deep breath of relief, a sense of calm taking over as she let the minor victory actually sink in. But then from behind her she heard a screen door creak and slam shut, and less than a moment later, along with the sound of his heavy stomps, "What the **fuck** were you thinkin'?" his voice roared with anger, but she couldn't help but smile. She grinned widely while she could before turning around to face him, straight faced and prepared for a verbal thrashing she knew she deserved.

Daryl was approaching with determination and rage, like a speeding train with useless brakes, but she stood her ground knowing that he needed to do this. Hell, if _he'd_ done what she did she'd reacted the same too, screaming about how 'You could've died!' 'Were you even thinking!' 'What the hell is wrong with you!' But none of that happened. Instead when he finally reached her he encased her in his arms, and instead of anger and tension she felt relaxation and lingering bits of fear. "God damn it, darlin'. You can't do that shit- scare me to death- you just can't..." he mummbled as he held onto her a little tighter, "Fuckin' _hell_." he breathed into her hair.

She let her smile stretch freely across her face again as she circled her arms around his neck and stood on her toes, leaning into the embrace as much as she could and mummbled back to him, "I'm sorry."

And she really was sorry. With the objective in mind, and the consequences in the back seat she didn't even think about what the others would feel, aside from anger. And Daryl's reaction had caught her off guard for a moment, but felt... normal at the same time. It was a strange moment for her to feel the normalcy make an appearance again, but she liked it- how they seemed like a real couple right then. Wreckless girlfriend, worried boyfriend. Her nose crinkled at the words girlfriend and boyfriend, they just didn't seem like the right titles for her and Daryl.

"Please don't do that ag'in." he released her, but still kept his hands on her, as if to keep her tethered and within arms reach in case she decided to sprint off at any second.

"No promises." she smirked and tried not to laugh at his scowl. He leaned down a moment later and kissed her slightly chapped lips. "Well, aren't you Mr. Affentionate." she grinned.

"Be grateful for what you get. I oughta throttle you. My woman runnin' off like that, _and_ draggin' Little Sis along..." he shook his head in mock shame.

She rolled her eyes, still smirking as she began to retort, "But we returned triumphant. That has to mean something. A little less throttling, a little more-"

"Oh shit!"

And just like that everything was put back on high alert. Normalcy disappeared just as quickly as it had reappeared. Their moment of victory was over. Randall was missing. Though he was cuffed and the shed door was locked from the outside he managed a great escape.

"Mama!"

Lacey spun on her heel at the sound of Honey's distressed whine, it wasn't often the girl let out noises opposite of glee, even during the end of the world that baby managed to be happy. She was in the arms of Sam who looked as worried as Honey sounded. Erin was on the porch standing beside Amy who called out wondering what was wrong.

"Hey," Lacey breathed as Sam passed off Honey to her, the little girl stretched and leaned away from the teen, if she could she would've probably tried to jump into her mother's arms, "Hey babygirl." she hugged the infant close then looked back to Sam, "Get your arm fixed up?"

Sam nodded quickly, "Yeah. Still kind of hurts though."

"Okay," Lacey said and glanced around at the minor chaos that had shook up the group yet again, "Alright, I'll find you some medicine, but I just have to figure what's happening first."

"Sure." she put a hand over the bandage.

"RICK!" the call was so sudden and loud that a few people, including Lacey and Sam, jumped. Walking out from the trees was a bloodied Shane.

"Shit." Lacey mummbled and passed the baby off to Sam, "Take her inside, please."

"What happened!" Lori called out as Shane closed in on them, the damage to his face looking worse and worse with each step he took. "He's armed! He's got my gun!"

"Are you okay?" Carl called out in concern.

"I'm fine. The little bastard just snuck up on me and clocked me in the face."

"Alright, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house. Glenn, Daryl, you're coming with us." Rick shot out the orders easily, and everyone listened.

"Woah, hang on. That looks pretty bad." Jo noted, gesturing to Shane's face, "Maybe Lace should have a look at it."

"I'm fine." Shane snapped and headed toward T-Dog, "T, I'm gonna need that gun."

"Just let him go. That was the plan, wasn't it? To just let him go?" Amy wondered, just as Sam reached the porch and ushered Erin along into the house with her.

"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun." Rick explained, his anger toward their escaped captive obvious in his tone.

"Don't go out there, you don't know what could happen!" Maggie put a hand to her mouth as if shocked by her own outburst, watching as Glenn took up a gun and gave her an apologetic look before walking toward the former officers.

"Get everyone back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put!" that was Rick's final command before he, Shane, Glenn and Daryl started for the trees where Shane had come from.

"Lacey, let's go." Jo took her arm to guide her back to the farm hosue, but she stepped out of grasp easily, glancing down and mentally checking off a list in her head, she caught up with Daryl. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you ain't. Not this time, girl." his crossbow was loaded in his grip and she almost had to jog to keep up with his long strides.

"Daryl-"

"No." he cut her off firmly and stopped walking to turn to her. A hand dropped from its hold on the crossbow to touch her cheek. A tender gesture that confused and surprised her, just like earlier when instead of screaming at her like she expected he would he just hugged her and sweetly asked her not to run off like that again. The hand on her face made her look up at him, straight into his eyes, though she honestly couldn't look anywhere else- trying to decipher what the hell was up with him, though it was the very, very least of her problems. "You're tough, I know you are. But I love you, and you have to listen to me this time. Please stay."

Her eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter, something in her stomach seemed to clench and release within just a second (just like when she had heard Sam say she had Sophia, and when she actually saw the girl herself emerge from the dying greenery). She nodded though, quickly, unsure if she could actually speak. Had she heard what she thought she heard? He stepped forward and kissed her forehead, a wordless 'Thank you' before breaking into a run to catch up with Glenn, Rick and Shane...

Lacey checked Jo's handy work on Sam's arm, checked on Sophia, checked on Erin, and took Honey and a rifle with her before she exited the house, whistling for Rocket to follow. In a wicker chair on the porch, she kept her gaze along the horizon, where light had faded quickly and the moon would be making its appearance soon. Though her eyes were heavy and tired her sight was sharp and hoping to see any sign of movement, any sign of her boys coming back safely. She sat silently with Rocket by her feet, rifle leaned against her chair and Honey dozing in her arms.

"Why don't you tell them?" a full hour passed, and from that it was 35 minutes before Sam spoke up, having lingered in the shadows the entire time, unsure if she should step out and make her presence known, she didn't want bother the blonde woman- she noticed a shift in her mood, something was different.

Lacey didn't flinch from the sudden sound of Sam's voice, she didn't acknowledge if she'd known the girl was there the whole time, she just kept her eyes focused and forward. The younger girl thought she was being ignored after a minute of silence, but then Lacey inhaled deeply before sighing, "You didn't see how they reacted to the first person that was bit and still walking... alive and walking I mean." she paused for a moment, "Though he was a goner when we found out- there was nothing I could do besides make him comfortable... But if he had told us about the wound immediately after it happened- if I could've cleaned the wound, stopped the bleeding... Jim might still be with _us_ and not _them_. But even then, that was before Jenner told me about what..."

Lacey trailed off, silence and the sound of bugs playing their nightly song filled the air. Sam stepped along the porch, closer to where Lacey was. She perched herself up on the rail and followed Lacey's gaze, keeping watch. "You think they'd do that to me?"

"No doubt in my mind..." Lacey answered easily, almost too easily, but she quickly backed herself up, "I'm not saying they're weak minded and completely fear driven, but... the sort of information that I told you... they won't take it well. They won't think rationally at first, they'll just-"

"They'll be terrified. And when people are terrified they do things they wouldn't normally do..."

"Exactly." Lacey nodded, then added in a mummble, "Like try to drive a pick ax through someone's head while they're still one of us..."

Sam huffed a laugh under her breath, thinking she knew who Lacey was referring to, but then the smile faded from her face- irrational actions... "I won't say anything."

"Keep your eyes sharp. Randall might come back." Lacey adjusted Honey in her arms to get a better reach for the rifle, just in case she needed to act quickly.

"Why would he do that?" Sam's brow scrunched as she slipped of the rail and started for the door.

"Come back for the women and children, ammo, food, supplies and bring it all back to his group... or he could kill all of us and take all we have. Either way it won't end pretty for us."

"Settling thought... You wouldn't let that happen though."

Lacey withheld a smirk, "Your arm hurting a little less?"

"Just waiting for the painkiller to kick in. I'm gonna get my bow."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead in any way, shape or form.<strong>


	57. 29

**A/N: So, yeeeah. Coming to an end, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it when I come to the show's end because I'll definitely pick it up again when the third season starts up, but until then? What? What should I do? I've read the comics up until the end of Book Three and I thought maybe I could keep rolling with stuff from there? But the tv show has a different story line so I'm like, eeeh, I don't know what to do. But I had the idea of a few like little drabbley oneshots, but even then I wouldn't know how to incoperate them if they derailed from the tv story line, I don't wanna mess with that, even though I already have in two majors ways :P **

**OH! I just got an idea, it's not the most exciting idea, but it'll be something... Okay, at the end of the final chapter, which issss... chapter 32? I think. I'll have an explanation of my idea and you can tell me what you think about it, or even give me ideas of your own, we'll see!**

**But anyway. Here's this chapter, very short. Reviews? I didn't get any last chapter, did you all hate it? D: I'm almost to 100 reviews :O**

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><p><em>Don't Get Too Comfy<em>

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><p>Erin walked alongside Amy, feeling confident enough to not hold her hand as they walked, but still feeling the need to shadow her, to have an adult beside her, that comforting relief. She heard a noise from outside and couldn't help her nerves from getting the best of her, her heart hammered quickly, but even through the heavey wooden paneling she relaxed when she heard Lacey's chuckle. Something that felt like happiness stirred in her, though the circumstances that brought her to Lacey were terrible, she was glad to have her watching over her, taking care of her and protecting her. She felt lucky.<p>

"Erin?"

She snapped out of her thoughts to see Amy and Maggie staring down at her, the blonde had a look of concern on her face- that look never seemed to leave her face- while the brunette was smirking smally. "Are you coming with us?" Amy asked. And there it was again, that confidence of 'I'm fine by myself' -and then fear- 'but not really'. She hurried to Amy's offered hand and took it, staying close as they were led by Maggie up the stairs. She glanced behind her one more time, toward the window where she knew if it weren't blocked she'd be able to see the woman who was her new mother. Her heart began to pound quickly again at the thought of the man who she considered a father figure out there in the forest shrouded by darkness, hunting for a bad man, with all those lurking creatures, they could be anywhere, they could- she couldn't even begin to imagine the scenarios. Something nagged in the back of her head, something like a blurry image, something forgotten- ignored it. Erin prayed for both her parents arrival through the door to come sooner and tried to dull down her anxiety and be brave like Sam.

"It's alright. They'll be fine." Amy's voice pulled her from her thoughts again, and she squeezed her hand. Erin looked to see that her hand was clutching onto the blonde's a little tighter than needed, an unconscious action it seemed.

With windows boarded, doors locked, and an archer, swordsman, and former police hound stationed on the porch a calm came over the home knowing they were as safe as could be. Sleeping arrangements were being made, pillows and extra blankets pulled out from the closet as everyone staked their claim over an area in the house. Maggie showed Amy and Erin to a room across the hall from the master bedroom, designating is as the Black's room, and gave them the task of setting it up for them.

At the beginning the Black's were just family- a family of four siblings, an adopted baby and some dogs- people who carried the Black name. But Amy was positive the room wasn't intended for just Lacey, Jo, Honey and Rocket. Though the family had won some and lost even more, being a part of the Black clan wasn't strictly by name basis anymore. There was Joseph 'JoJo' Black, of course, but he'd more than likely be sharing a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor with her in the room she and Andrea would share. Then there was Lacey and Honey Black, a woman- a practiced nurse, and a baby orphaned by the world wide epidemic that had shaped their lives into what it is now. Erin Evans, saved by an old dog and brought straight to Lacey's arms. Rocket, the last remaining of the trio of dogs that the siblings had rescued while in the city. Samantha 'Sam' Rome, the strongest, in all ways of the term, 14 year old in Georgia, maybe even America. And then there was Daryl Dixon, like it or not he was part of the group now, and most definitely part of the Black family.

"Okay." Amy sighed as she looked around the room, there was a full size bed, for Lacey and Daryl for sure. She could bring up the sleeping bags and the cot, but after that she was sure that Lacey would want to take care of the rest- the fact that the woman didn't ever unpack her bag entirely was warning enough to Amy.

"Wha'dya say, kiddo?" Amy glanced toward Erin, the girl looked up to her in question, waiting for her to continue, "Let's bring some stuff up and then you can see how great that bed feels to sleep in."

She nodded, "But I'm not tired."

"What if I brought Honey in to make that bed seem a little more comfortable?" Maggie offered from the doorway.

Erin honestly couldn't even think about sleeping while her three great protectors were outside, but she gave a shrug anyway, watching over Honey while she slept would give her something to do at least, besides worrying. "Alright." Maggie's smile was small, "I'll be right back with the little one."

Amy nudged the girl's shoulder, "Let's grab some things. You get the pillows and I'll get the heavy stuff."

With Jo's help, it only took one trip up the stairs to get the Black family's things in their new room. With Honey asleep on the bed, Erin took a seat against the headboard and listened to Amy and Jo talk in the hall. He was going to take up Dale's rifle and take a seat with the ladies on the porch, though he was better with bludgeoning sorts of weapons he was still a fair shot with a rifle. Adding a marksmen simply heightened security, though the longer they waited for their original four to return the more anxiety overpowered calm.

"Be careful."

"I'll just be on the porch, nothing to worry about." she heard Jo chuckle slightly, and then Amy's tenative whisper of a laugh before she responded, "I know. But I can't really help it...I love you."

"I love you too."

Erin smiled, it wasn't often during these times those words were exchanged. She glanced down at Honey, sleeping soundly as if the world wasn't in tatters and they were all just barely clinging onto their lives. She loved that baby. She hardly knew the girl, but she knew she loved her. She loved her golden hair, those chubby pink cheeks and that baby toothed smile. She wondered if she would ever grow up to be Amy's age, or Lacey's age and love a guy, she wondered if Honey might too. As her mind continued to wander so did her eyes, and just as she was thinking about asking Carl to be her boyfriend she caught sight of something sticking out of Honey's baby bag.

Carefully, she moved off of the bed, making sure not to disturb Honey, and tip toeing toward the bag. Sophia's doll hung half way out of the bag, its hair of yarn was frayed in some parts, some of it missing completely in a bald patch, but Erin had tried her best to mend it back to its normal glory. Washing it numerous times until the stained mud looked its faintest, trying to plait the yarn hair into two braids and sewing up areas that had torn. Erin smiled widely thinking Sophia would be glad to have her doll back. She passed one more glance to the baby girl on the bed then to the doll in her hands. She mimicked the actions of the adults, putting a pillow on either side of the baby to guard her from rolling off the bed, turned on the nightlight that Maggie had given her, switched off the lamp and headed for the stairs...

Since Sophia had returned she had a shower, was told of the things that had occurred while she was lost, and was eating a hearty meal in the dining room, taking time between bites of food and sips of water to tell of her hardships, her mother taking care to keep at maximum a foot's distance between them at all times.

Erin treaded slowly, peeking into the room, unsure if she should bother the reunited girl and her mother or not, but Carol had caught her. She smiled a genuinely warm smile, "Hi, Erin."

Erin grinned slightly before slipping around the wall and stepping into the dining room, her eyes fell to the floor when she saw Sophia turn and smile at her, her own grin bursting into that wide smile from minutes ago. "Here's your doll. I washed the mud off of her, and kept her safe and warm."

Erin walked up to the table and set the doll near Sophia. She offered a shy smile and looked down to her fingers, anxiously twining and untwining them. Sophia let out a small laugh and slipped off of her chair, she glanced at her mother with a grin before circling her arms around Erin. The younger hugged back instantly, this being their first proper interaction since the highway. Erin had kept to herself, speaking only to Lacey and staying near her and Daryl, but Sophia had tried to spark a friendship, to pull her out of her shell, ease the fear and let her know she wasn't alone anymore... and she had shunned the attention... and then Sophia was gone... "You keep it." Sophia said, and her arms retracted to reach for the doll on the table and put it back into Erin's hands.

A smile bloomed on the younger girl's face, "Really?"

Children no longer had the luxury of toys, during times like this, they would be a waste of precious space- unnecessary. But this one doll was the exception, having never left Sophia's grasp until she dropped it in the stream where Daryl had found it- the deal being if she wanted to keep her doll she need only treat it as her responsibility and hers only. And Erin was younger after all, more the age to actually play with dolls, so Sophia merely figured it the right thing to do. With all her weeks alone she had time to think, prioritize. Having been on her own she understood the difference between needs and wants. She needed to survive, she needed to find her way back to her mother, she needed to stay strong and not give up.

Erin was just a child, and a child needed a doll.

Sophia nodded and got back into her seat. Erin's eyes shifted between the doll in her hands, to Sophia, to Carol and back to the doll, "Thanks."

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><p>"So... Fill us in... We were gone for more than 24 hours. There's no way that <em>nothing<em> of significance happened after we split. And obviously that trial didn't go over well since the accused's M.I.A. Give me the details, brother." Lacey kept her voice low and her eyes fixed on the tree line, the moon was climbing over the greenery, big, bright and full.

"Well, you're right. It didn't go over well. It was all set up- the execution- but then, ya know, change of heart. Then, uhh, I think you might have noticed we're missing someone..." Jo explained in a voice just above a whisper, his usual joking tone no where to be heard.

"Yeah," Lacey bit her lip. Upon entering the house after the boys had left with Shane in the lead she recieved a greeting from everyone, a few words of relief, a few hugs, but one person had yet to make his appearance and welcome her back. Her eyes stung slightly but she tried to keep her focus, keep her vision clear, "And I was really hoping it didn't relate to anything along the lines of the 'd' word."

"It was a walker... He was upset about the... about the veredict... and...and uhh," Jo's voice cracked, he cleared his throat but his voice still gave the occasion quake as he continued, "he was caught off guard... by the time we got there..." Jo shook his head, "Sometimes they bleed out quickly... but he... he was suffering."

"The gun shot." Sam mummbled in understanding.

All was quiet for a few minutes, the three sharing a moment of silence for their fallen friend. Lacey figured by the way Jo could barely get the tale out that he'd felt a sort of fatherly connection toward the man too, maybe not quite the same as Lacey had. Every relationship was different.

"And then after that that's when we realized you were gone too. Both of you. It took me an hour to find that note. And it took 3 of us to hold Daryl back and convince him let you go through with your little plan. You're completely idiotic plan, I might add." Jo chuckled quietly, the other two joining in.

"You can tell me it was stupid all you like, but we're still alive and Sophia's back... So... check and mate?" Lacey grinned in the darkness.

"Whatever." Jo grumbled, Sam chuckled from her perch.

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><p>Sam nearly fell off the porch rail, her feet touched the wood and she looked out into the distance, the moon's light giving a hint of light but not enough.<p>

"Did you hear that?" she whispered.

"Yeah." Jo stood up, adjusting the rifle in his grasp, "Sounded like a gunshot?"

"Yeah." Sam agreed, "They found Randall, you think?"

"Or Randall found them." Jo countered.

"No. None of them would be so careless." Lacey shook her head, peering into the darkness like the other two, "There's no sense in going out there, so... we'll just have to wait and see."

Jo snorted, "That's funny coming from the girl that hates the 'wait and see' way of life."

"Don't push me, bro." Lacey smirked...

"What's that? Do you see that?" Sam wondered, looking back toward Lacey and Jo before turning back toward the landscape and raising her arm to point, "There. Do you see that? Is that movement, or are my eyes messing with me?"

The siblings followed her gaze and Jo nodded, "That's movement." he raised his rifle and peered through the scope, "It's hard to tell, but I don't think walkers stick to the buddy system."

The figures kept running, running toward the house, the closer they came they clearer they were. Glenn and Daryl.

"Hey." Glenn breathed.

"Hey yourself. What the hell happened out there?" Jo said. Daryl touched Lacey's arm, ignoring or not seeing her questioning glance, before he opened the door and headed inside, the rest of them following closely.

"Rick and Shane ain't back?"

"No."

"We heard a shot."

"Maybe they found Randall."

"We found him. He was a walker."

"Did you found the walker that bit him?"

"No, the weird thing is he wasn't bit."

Lacey's stomach dropped, she felt her face heat up but she forced the feelings away, she turned to Sam, the girl's eyes mirroring her look of fear. She put her arm around the teen, while Sam put a hand over her bandage.

"His neck was broke."

"So he fought back." Patricia supplied.

"Thing is- Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other. And Shane ain't no tracker, so he didn't come up behind him... they were together." Daryl explained.

"Can you please go back out there and find Rick and Shane and find out what on Earth is going on." Lori begged in the calmest voice she could muster.

"You got it."

"Thank you." Lori breathed and looked to Lacey for some kind of assurance, but she was way too busy for that. She, Daryl, Glenn, Sam, Jo and Andrea exited the house and set to go in search of the men, but what they see in the distance, something barely eye catching, forces them all to stop.

The shock and fear renders them speechless, but Sam still has it in her to speak what they're all thinking, "Holy shit."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>

**A/N: I decided to stop .5 chapters until the end, it'll probably be a big one, a final one, summing up charcter(s) thoughts from the last four chapters, so... there...**


	58. 30

**A/N: This one is slightly longer than the last one, yaaay, though I know it's never long enough, never as long as hoped (that can be horribly misconstrued). I enjoy this chapter slightly, Lacey gets into a Baby Doll persona, sword and gun- that is some badass shit! Anyway! ENJOY? And thanks for the review :)**

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><p><em>I Don't Know...<em>

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><p>"Watch your mouth, kid."<p>

The rest of the group had stepped out to see what the deal was- what had steeled the bravest of the bunch- all eyes widened at the sight of so many walkers ambling their way. There wasn't much known about walkers, aside from what part of the brain reactivates- after 3 minutes to 8 hours of death- when reanimation occurs; a shot to the brain is what snuffs them, and they weren't particularly keen to canned ham. They seemed to rely on their sense of sound the very most, that is if their hearing was still in tact, their secondary sense in guidance might've been sight, and lastly smell. At least, from an observation stand point. And from where they were standing- like a neatly boxed meal- the fight or flight response kicked in a needed an answer, stay or go, stay or go, stay or go?

"Patricia, kill the lights."

"I'll go get the guns."

"Maybe it's like the herd on the highway. We can just go inside and wait for them to pass by." Glenn tried hard to rationalize and remain calm, though the fear was evident. Their sanctuary was no longer that, they either had to try and save the farm or bail.

Lacey shook her head, after trying to count all the mobile corpes she gave up after 30, "This is nothing like the herd on the highway."

"And unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about, a herd that size'll tear the house down."

Motherly instincts kicked in, Lori ran back into the house while Lacey ran through a mental checklist of where her VIPs were. Honey and Erin were up in their new room, Jo was holding onto Amy who stood by Andrea, Sam was right beside her, and Daryl just in front of her. Close enough to reach forward and take hold of his vacant hand, which she did, and felt the tiniest bit better when he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Then she checked off the rest. All who were missing were Rick and Shane.

"Carl's gone. He's supposed to be upstairs, I can't find him."

Scratch that, all who were missing were Carl, Rick and Shane.

"Maybe he's hiding."

"He's supposed to be upstairs, I'm not leaving without my boy." Lori was ever the calm one while everyone else was in hysterics, but at that moment, that feeling of dread tearing a hole through her chest and toward her heart, growing larger and larger with each second that passed with Carl not appearing before her eyes, she was getting anxious- terrified, just as she had been when Carl lay nearly bloodless in the Greene's home all those weeks ago.

"We're not. We're gonna look again, we're gonna find him."

"Sam, go help find Carl."

Sam obeyed the order and started into the house, but stopped at the door, nerves getting the best of her too, it seemed the sight of an innumerous herd of walkers slowly closing in on a place once believed their sanctuary-turned-possible-grave-site brought the unease out of everyone (who would'a thought it!) "What are you gonna do?"

Andrea slipped by Sam in the open door way and hefted the gun bag's strap off her shoulder putting it on the porch floor, she and Jo started to dig through, checking, filling, loading rounds into clips, how he ever became so well acquainted with guns so quickly was beyond Lacey, but she was glad he'd developed the skill.

Lacey's hand landed on the handle of her shashka, and nearly the instant she did so Jo spoke up loudly while shaking his head, "Nuh uh, no way. You're not going out there with just blades, you'll never survive like that. You either take a gun or you stay in the house."

The two stared at each other for a few long moments before Lacey grumbled, "Damn it." and removed her hand from her swords handle to stick out in waiting. Jo put a pistol in her hand, showing no sign of triumph, no joking demeanor, nothing in his features shined out as 'JoJo'.

"I'm going to take care of buisness out here, now go. Stay close to house, do not use your arrows unless you really have to. Take my knife. Stay with the kids, protect yourself and protect them. If worse comes to worst stick with Lori."

"But nothing bad's gonna happen though- right? I-I-I mean, it's just a herd- we've handled-"

Lacey just barely rushed the girl, taking hold of her shoulder in a firm grasp, "Samantha, listen. If something happens to me you **don't** try to be a hero. You keep going. You keep yourself and those girls safe. You don't look back, you just keep going."

"But that won't happen," Sam's eyes flashed with fear, her glance flickering away from Lacey for a moment, "It can't."

"It won't." Lacey heard Daryl mummble gruffly behind her, "Now get goin', girl."

Sam glanced past Lacey toward the hunter, her eyes flashing with that fear again before she nodded and went into the house. Lacey sighed as she turned back to the group on the porch. Andrea, Jo, Hershel, Maggie, and Glenn loading up various firearms. "So what's the idea?"

"We have guns. We have cars."

"Kill as many as we can. Then we use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm."

"Serious?"

"This is my farm. I'll die here." Hershel stated.

"Alright. S'as good a night as any." Daryl took the gun Jo passed him and hopped over the porch railing.

"Woah, woah. Where do you think you're going?" Lacey called after him and mimicked his movements with a little more amount of grace before catching up.

"Everyone's mountin' up."

"I'm going with you."

"Lace-"

"No. I'm going with you. Buddy system never fails."

He couldn't deny it, she was right, even if she was being slightly childish about it. He forced all his eye rolls back, deciding to keep count so when this was over he would let her have it. He grunted something assumed to be translated as 'fine' as his hand dove into his pocket to clutch onto something, she walked along with him toward the motorcycle parked near the RV. Her eyes tried counting again, but through the darkness it was impossible to tell how many walkers were infesting the Greene Farm. She came to a halt when he settled onto the machine and turned it on, the rumble of the engine elicting a wobble in her knees.

"Get on." he jerked his head behind him, but he saw her face. He could've laughed, but given their current situation he just raised his brow high on his forehead in question. This woman that had slept in the woods, 20 feet high up in a tree, faced off with countless walkers, and carried around a lethal blade... was scared of his bike? He was honestly amused, but stored it away, "What, you never been on a motorcycle before?"

Something in her face twitched and she stomped forward, holding onto his shoulders as she swung her leg over, "Uhh no, actually, I haven't. All my old boyfriends usually specialized in a 10 speed and could barely manage the stick shift in my car. Oh, but the last one had a personal jet, how 'bout that?"

He snorted and revved the engine, smirking when he felt her jump- it was sort of cute in a way, seeing her all flustered like that, "Just hang on." the kick stand kicked up and Lacey couldn't help herself, she held on with a death grip.

* * *

><p>Between the two of them they shared 40 rounds, and they were quickly running out. Lacey had three more, she put the safety on and tucked the gun away into her waistband. She took hold of his shoulders to get his attention, leaning a little closer to speak close to his ear, "We can't do this. It's impossible."<p>

"I know. I wanna scope out it all out though. See how bad it is." he answered.

She nodded though he couldn't see it, "Take me back to the house, I gotta get the girls, our stuff..."

* * *

><p>"I checked the shed. I can't find him anywhere." Lori was trying to stay cool headed, but the pressure and fear was overwhelming, she was shaking, her eyes were tearing up and she couldn't stand still. She looked to Carol for help, the only other mother she could turn to for guidance.<p>

"He's not in the cellar." Carol said defeatedly.

The screen door shut noisely and Sam walked out, "Or the attic." Lori could see she held worry and guilt in her features, as if it were somehow her fault that Carl was lost- though it wasn't, there wasn't any way it could be her fault. '_Unless when they were on the lookout for the others they could've seen him. Caught him, stopped him and brought him back. Then this wouldn't be happening. If they just __**saw**__ him!_'

Lori ignored the guilty look and pushed away those blaming thoughts, walking along the porch as she mummbled, "Why can't he just listen for once..." she looked toward the right in the chaos of the night, "If he followed his daddy he went that way."

"No, you'll lead them right to him. We can't stay here." Carol said almost beggingly.

"But that's my boy!" Lori shrieked. Sam took a couple steps back, Carol took hold of Lori's shoulders, "I know, and if they find him he's going to need his mother. We need to go."

There were a few moments of pause where Lori tried to control her breathing and collect her thoughts, she nodded after another moment, "Get the others...Sam, go get the girls, you keep them close to you."

Sam bolted back into the house, taking the stairs two at a time and almost slamming to a stop when she caught the doorway, "Come on, it's time to go." she said hurriedly and rushed into the room to take up Honey from the bed. She wrapped a blanket around her and looked to the two other girls, "C'mon. Stay close to me."

Carol had Patricia and Beth beside her on the porch when Sam and the others stepped out of the house.

"Lori." Carol called for the woman who'd taken out her gun and took down a few walkers. She glanced back at the women gathered close together and put her gun away.

"Hershel! It's time to go! NOW!"

* * *

><p>She stood in the grass, not exactly close to the house, but if they got any closer they'd be swarmed. She glanced back at him, catching his eyes in the moonlight, sharing an unspoken agreement, though they both knew it wasn't necessary- merely a unconscious precaution. He nodded curtly and rumbled away. She smirked smally and tried not to roll her eyes when she felt his hand pat her backside just before he rolled away completely out of reach.<p>

She inhaled through her nose, '_Okay_' her voice in her head sighed, she took hold of her blade's handle and pulled it from its scabbard, her other hand grabbed the gun with its three remaining rounds and took the safety off. She started off slow, trying her hardest not to burst into a sprint, making her way toward the house...

"Blade's no good my ass..." she grumbled under her breath as she sliced at the walkers she passed by, decapitating, amputating, anything to slow them down. She had one round left in her pistol, and her blade was caked with gore. She looked up toward the house, everything was dark, and the porch was empty- save for Hershel who was still shooting, seeming to live true to his word that he'd die on his farm. Her stomach dropped, what happened? Where was everyone- the couldn't have- Her eyes caught sight of a horde of walkers huddled tightly over somethi- someone- "Oh god, no..."

"Lacey!"

Her heart accelerated as she turned toward the voice that called her name, she couldn't see anything though. She recognized the voice, but the source seemed invisible- until she stepped into the moonlight.

"Sophia!" Lacey ran to the girls who were huddled beside the porch. Sophia holding Honey, Erin clutching tightly onto Sophia. "Where's your mom? Where's Lori? Sam?" Lacey spoke quickly and ushsered them all back into the shadows.

"I don't know! I don't know what happened. Walkers were coming for us, Sam tried to guide them away, but we got cornered, and then-then I-I-I don't know. I don't know! The truck was there and then it was gone!" Sophia was close to tears, and why wouldn't she be? This was absolute chaos- a worst nightmare come true, but Lacey had to calm her down.

"Okay." Lacey nodded, though tears were starting to fill her own eyes she shook them away, "Okay. It's alright." she had to think quickly, there was the truck- she'd said- obviously they loaded up and bailed from the farm, Glenn and Maggie would probably do the same thing. The farm was a lost cause, with the barn on fire acting more like a beakon than anything else they didn't have nearly enough ammo to cut the walker numbers in half while more and more of them stumbled their way onto the farm. They had to leave. "We need keys. We have to get out of here."

"All the keys are in the house." Sophia said, having gained control of her breathing again.

"Okay. Get your mom's car keys, take Erin and Honey and your run as fast as you can. Get in and lock the doors and hide from sight. When you hear my voice unlock the drivers door and everyone get in the front. Okay?"

* * *

><p>"Sophia! Open the door! Start the car!"<p>

Sophia acted without hesitation, climbing up into the front seat she pushed the key into the ignition and started the vehicle. She pulled up the lock on the door and scooted over into the passengers seat, offering her hands out to Erin to pass her Honey and making room for the girls to sit with her in the seat. All was going well, as planned... until the walkers started following Lacey. She ripped open the door and closed it behind her in a flash, locking it quickly before tossing the heap of bags in her grasp into the back seat. The walkers slammed up against the Cherokee, snarling and clawing at the windows, banging and growling.

Sophia and Erin screamed, and Honey started to cry. A baby notoriously known for her constant quiet, calm, happy attitude finally broke. She wailed loudly, trying and struggling to free herself from Sophia's arms.

"Shit." Lacey hissed under her breath and shifted into drive, she stepped down heavily on the gas- effectively mowing down a few walkers, and tried to find her way to the gate, but in the darkness and through the countless bodies that blocked the path, she nearly ended up stuck with a three body pile up under the Jeep.

Honey was still crying, and while Sophia and Erin tried to sooth her, they couldn't help their own squeals and squeaks of terror with each body that launched themselves at the vehicle.

Lacey didn't speak as she navigated the best she could, stretching her hand across to the girls when anticipating a particularly rough patch of land or patch of walkers.

Eventually gate was in sight, and less and less walkers filled their vision.

Lacey glanced in the rear view mirror, the barn was still covered with high flames as it crumbled, no walkers were following them as they continued on the dirt road...

* * *

><p>He knew that scream. Questions filled his brain; how did she get separated from the rest of the group, where was the rest of the group, how could they leave her, what happened? But the answers could wait, he started up the bike and found her running along the wire fence line, she had maybe half a dozen walkers chasing after her, but they couldn't keep up with her pace.<p>

He came to a halt beside the fence, "Damn it, sis! Don't waste time!"

She tried to climb over the tangle of wire carefully, not wanting to know what horrors a snag on her jeans might bring, but with safety within her grasp she couldn't be bothered with care.

Away from walkers, away from the farm, away from something that was close to home...

* * *

><p>"Where's Sam?" Erin asked quietly. They'd been driving non stop, and once Honey had finally settled down, all was quiet within the car. Lacey had neglected using the headlights and told the girls to share the seatbelt. Honey slept nestled between the two girls, sniffling every once in a while.<p>

Lacey's mouth drew into a straight line, her eyes left from their focus on the road for a moment to glance at Sophia.

"I don't know which way she ran, but she seemed like she knew what she was doing... Andrea went after her, but I think she- I don't know..." Sophia explained, her eyes fell to her knees and remained there.

"Do you think she's okay?" Erin wondered aloud, it seemed like a question that was directed to anyone, but since Sophia seemed to clam up Lacey sighed before answering, "I don't know. I really hope so, but I just-" she bit her lip and shook her head, fighting back the tears again, "... I don't know."

"Are we going to find her? And the others."

"We're going to try to make our way back to the highway, where we were when Sophia got lost. It's a place we've all been to before, it's the only logical place to go if we we're to meet up somewhere... but I'm not sure if I'm even going the right way." she sighed again and rubbed a hand on her forehead, "When the sun comes up, probably in another couple hours, I'll hopefully be able to get my bearings and find our way there."

She glanced at the girls, "Just get some rest. We're safe..." she offered a smile, and even Erin could tell it was fake.

Things get worse before they get... worse... '_God, I hope they're all okay. I hope we find them. I can't do this alone. Yeah, we're safe, Lacey. We're all __**safe**__... for now..._'

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>


	59. 31

**A/N: Hooray! It's a longer chapter. Be warned, this chapter is rather... mushy. And cute, some what. I don't know, it's slightly out of character, yet in character at the same time, I don't know, I like it (it's a change of pace in terms of attitude and mood, but like... sudden. But in a time like that you have to act quickly, so...). So anyhow. Over 100 reviews! Thanks! And 32,000 views! Thanks to those who review, favorite and alert :D Hopefully this chapter'll have a good response.**

* * *

><p><em>I'm Infected By Your Pandemic<em>

* * *

><p>"Do you think they're okay? Do you think she found them? I tried to lead the walkers away from them. She told me to protect them, I didn't mean to get completely separated. Do you think they got out. Oh, my god!"<p>

"Shit, girl! Take a breath and calm down." Daryl shouted over the roar of the bike's engine turning his head toward his shoulder slightly so she'd hear him, "She had a plan in mind when she went after ya'll. Otherwise I wouldn't 'a let her go."

"But what if it didn't work out? We need to go back."

"Sam." he spoke as sternly as he could while weaving through stray walkers among the trees until reaching a solid trail that he hoped led to an actual road, "She told you to keep goin', don't look back, right?"

From the silence behind him he took that as an understanding before continuing, "'Sides, we made the same kind of agreement. Whoever's still..._around_ if she doesn't make it I end up takin' care of..." he shook his head a moment later, "But she's fine. She's got the girls and she's fine."

A few minutes passed quietly until Sam spoke up again, "Did you give it to her?"

"No." he grumbled shortly, needing no further explanation as to what she meant by 'it'. He knew exactly what she was asking. She'd been bugging him about it since he voiced the thought looking for her opinion. He heard her scoff, "You know that expression 'you've got all the time in the world'? Yeah, isn't really applicable these days."

"'Ey, don't push me."

"I'm _just_ saying. The further you put something off, especially something as important as _that_, the more nervous you'll get, and knowing you, well..." she trailed off, even if she'd continued he'd be offended, he scowled at the road. She poked a finger into his shoulder, "And it's **your** idea anyway."

"The hell you talkin' about, you're the one that gave me the damn thing."

"Yeah, but I didn't put the idea in your head. That was all you, so-" she paused for a beat, and he assumed she'd stuck her tongue out at him, "there."

"Since when are you some kind of expert with relationships..."

"I had a boyfriend once, I know what I'm doing."

Daryl snorted, unable to keep a smirk at bay. If Lacey and Sam didn't look so different, he'd swear they really were sisters.

* * *

><p>The Cherokee was parked in the dirt, veiled in the shadows of the tall trees of the forest on either side of the road. The moon slipped through cracks between clouds and the high tops of trees, shining brightly for a moment before disappearing again, as it made its slow descent. Soon the moon would be gone. The day of the battle lost on Greene Farm would be in the past, but their future was the more concerning matter. Lacey sat in the driver's seat with her feet propped up by the gear shift, she held Honey in her arms who was fighting a battle between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her head rested against Lacey's chest, listening to the steady beat of her heart, a sound that always calmed her no matter whose heart it was. One small hand reached up to absentmindedly sift her fingers through the ends of Lacey's hair, both seeming to enjoy the moment, the calm of the night. Erin and Sophia were curled up in the backseat, out like a light, thankful for the momentarily peace as well.<p>

But not all was peaceful and calm. Not everyone was relaxed. Lacey's eyes craved sleep, as did her body. She knew very well the bad effects exhaustion brought on, but she couldn't rest, she was almost afraid to blink. She needed to be alert, she needed to be ready for action, she needed to know what the plan was, what the next move would be. But she couldn't think of it. All she could see was the hundreds of walkers on the farm, the burning barn. She though about the others. Who was alive, who had... not survived. Where were they. Where would they go. The high way, or some place else. Would she ever find them, would they ever find her. Who was still alive, were they okay... Sam? Daryl? Jo?

As much as she was seen as a strong, brave leader, she never felt so lost, so completely alone. Though she had the company of the girls, she was still alone. She was the only adult. She was the only leader. These girls, these young girls, they were dependent on her, and she didn't even know what she was doing.

She wasn't sure how long the tears had been falling down her cheeks, or how long Honey's hand had ceased its brushing through her hair or when she'd fallen asleep again. She was alone, crying quietly as she held her daughter closer to her.

"I can't do this by myself." she whispered. She didn't feel like the woman that others looked with hope in their eyes anymore. She didn't feel brave, she didn't feel smart, or capable. She felt alone and lost. _Scared_, alone and lost. The Cherokee held a little below a quarter tank of gas, they had no food and three water bottles, one of which was bone dry.

Her head fell back onto the headrest, "I can't do this alone." The tears continued to fall as the sky began to lighten, and when the sun peeked over the tops of trees Lacey started the engine. Her face slightly swollen, still red around the eyes, but otherwise normal.

All the girls started awake, eyes wide as they sat up quickly.

"Woah!" Lacey put her hands up, "Relax. It's just the car starting. We're going to try and find the highway now, alright?"

Seating arrangements were altered until everyone was comfortable and Lacey shifted into drive.

"Are you okay?" Sophia wondered quietly from the passenger seat, sneaking a glance to the back seat where Erin was trying to situate Honey with a seatbelt. "Your eyes look a little red." she added.

"I'm fine. Just tired. Didn't get much sleep." Lacey offered a small smile, that easily recognizable forced smile. But Sophia knew that smile well, her mother had given her that smile most of her life, telling the same lie, '_I'm fine. Don't worry._'...

* * *

><p>The Cherokee was at the end of the line, and though the rumble of Daryl's motorcycle offered a certain amount of calm, her heart still hammered heavily with fear. She was so very thankful to whatever force had guided her to the right road, hearing the roar and rumble of Daryl's bike and that old blue pick up trucks engine, allowing her to follow the sounds until she fell in line with the rest of the group. In the cars that proceeded the Jeep she wondered who sat in the seats, who was driving, how many passengers?<p>

Brake lights flashed before going dark, the cars parking among the automobile graveyard. Lacey cut the engine, her knotted stomach loosening slightly at the sight of Carl, Rick and Hershel. Car doors opened and closed, Glenn and Maggie, Lori, Beth and Carol. T-Dog.

"Come on." she muttered as she pocketed the keys and got out. Sophia slipped out and wandered along the cars carefully until she saw her mother and bursted into a run.

Lacey opened up the back door and took Honey from the seat, helping Erin out as well before walking toward the group, fearful of what she might find- or rather, who she wouldn't find.

"Sophia, where's Lacey?"

Jo's voice. She sighed in relief and stepped a little quicker. She breathed out a laugh when Rocket trotted up to her, panting with her tongue hanging out as she looked up at her, almost as if surveying her to make sure she was okay. "Hey girl. You made it." she dipped down to pet the dog before continuing on and emerging through the cars and onto her fellow survivors. Her eyes moved over the group and immediately caught on Sam, "Oh thank god." she sighed.

Sam ran at Lacey just as soon as she came into view, she enveloped the girl with her vacant arm, holding on tightly. All the words they couldn't stop thinking were left unsaid, their embrace communicating everything. Lacey peered over Sam's shoulder to see Erin sprinting towards Daryl who scooped her up as soon as she reached him.

Sam pulled away from Lacey, but snuck her hand into grasp, not entirely ready to be separated from her again. The air around the reunited group was joyous but hushed, but that was quickly remedied when a tiny voice shouted gleefully, "Da-dee!"

Spirits lifted enough to fill the once quiet void with laughter at the baby's outburst. Lacey walked over toward Daryl, taking the hint when Honey extended her arm toward him, leaning, and whining slightly. Her tiny fist encircled his offered finger, "Hey baby girl." he mummbled quietly, earning a wide baby-toothed grin from the child.

"Where'd you find everyone?" Rick asked, the usual grave tone was absent from his voice, at least for the moment.

Daryl set Erin back on the ground as he nodded toward Glenn, "This guy's tail lights zig-zaggin' all over the road, figured he had to be Asian drivin' like that." A few chuckles came around the group again, Lacey shook her head as she let out a quiet snort.

"Good one." Glenn grinned, taking no offense to the joke.

"Where's the rest of us?" Lacey wondered, that burning question in her mind finally let loose aloud.

"We're the only ones that made it so far." Rick said, his eyes flickering toward the worn, cracked asphalt beneath his feet.

"Shane?" Lori asked, something of a hopefully tone in her voice. But Rick just shook his head solemnly.

"Andrea?" Amy piped up, her voice cracked, giving away her anxiety.

"She saved me. When I was I luring some walkers away I got cornered, she took care of them." Sam spoke up, glancing to Amy, but then her gaze fell downward, "Still...Still had some after me, I had to run and I looked back, t-to check and I... I couldn't see her."

"We saw her go down." T-Dog said. Sam's gaze shot back up again, looking to him with wide, horrified eyes, then to Amy who was trying to keep herself composed. Jo's arm came around her shoulders and pulled her into him, a quiet sob leaving her as she held onto him. Sam's brow scrunched with sadness and guilt, she saw Lacey with the same sort of expression. The two exchanged a glance.

"Patricia?"

"They got her too. Took her right from me..." Beth broke down into tears as well, "What about Jimmy?"

"He was in the RV... got overrun."

Lacey gave a short nod to Sam, "You definitely saw Andrea?" she directed the question toward T-Dog. He glanced toward Lori who cautiously answered, "There were walkers everywhere."

"Did you **see** her?" Lacey repeated and was met with silence. She sighed and closed her eyes, tilting her head upward. She recieved a pat on her cheek from Honey, something that was most likely an action of reassurance in baby language, but it did nothing to calm her.

"I'm gonna go back." Daryl stated and immediately started to mount his bike.

"No, we'll go." Lacey put a hand on his arm briefly before looking to her brother, "Jo, Amy, no guns, we'll take the Cherokee. Sam you get in the back, pop open the back window, if we get any stragglers you pick them off. If she's out there she's going to be exhausted, we'll put her in the back seat-"

"No." Rick's stern tone cut Lacey off, the small blonde looked to him, confusion in her eyes.

"No?"

"Rick, we can't just leave her. She-" Sam stepped up but was promptly cut off by Lori.

"We don't even know if she's there."

Rick's grim tone was back, as was his tensed brow and frown, "She isn't there, she isn't. She's somewhere else, or she's dead. There's no way to find her."

"So we're not even gonna look for her?" Jo spat with slight acid in his voice as he kept a still whimpering Amy close. "Sophia was lost for more than a week and we still found her. It's only been half a day, Andrea's a grown woman, armed and all alone, we have a general location and we're just going to give up? What the fuck kind of logic is that?"

"It's logic that keeps us alive." Rick snapped at him, then glanced around at the others, "We gotta keep movin', there'll be walkers crawlin' all over here."

"I say head east." T-Dog suggested.

"Stay off the main roads." Daryl added, Lacey, Jo and Sam shot him a look that said 'What the hell? That's it!', but he didn't see any of them, he just pulled his crossbow from his bike and loaded it up quickly and took aim, "The bigger the road, the more walkers- more assholes like this one. I got 'im."

"Oh, my god." Lacey mummbled as everyone continued with the next orders that were said, she passed Honey off to Sam, making an effort for Daryl to actually see her irritated expression as she walked over to Amy and pulled her into her arms. She nodded to the Cherokee for Jo to get what bags she had managed to grab before the big escape from Greene Farm.

"Don't worry, Amy." Lacey whispered as the younger blonde sobbed quietly into her shoulder, "I'll convince Rick. Something has to be done."...

Amy was sat in between Jo and Lacey, the siblings taking up the task of keeping her calm as they grew further and further away from the highway, from the farm, from her sister. Erin was in Amy's lap, playing with the blonde's fingers, creating a sort of soothing distraction. Honey was tucked safely against Lacey's chest while Lori sat on the other side of Jo. Rocket sat in the covered bed of the old red truck behind them, eyes peering out the window. Rick, Carl and T-Dog sat up front with Rick driving, bringing up the rear of the small caravan. Glenn, Maggie, Hershel, Beth, Carol and Sophia packed into the SUV Shane had fixed up, and Sam took up the seat behind Daryl on his motorcycle.

The telltale sound of a car trying to suck up its last drop of fuel hit their ears, and a moment later Rick slammed his hand on the steering wheel, "Damn!"

"What's wrong?" Lori had kept her focus on her son, but shifted her sights to look at her husband.

"We've been ridin' red for the past hour." he glanced back at her and the rest of the passengers squeezed in the back seat. Honey reached her hand toward the cool glass of the window, slipping past the tightly pulled fabric of the blanket wrapped around her as she babbled baby talk. Erin glanced toward Lacey in question as the truck slowed to a halt.

"Better make sure we don't get forgot." T-Dog said.

Rick lay his hand on the center of the wheel and the horn blared for a short moment. The SUV and the bike came to a stop. Everyone started to file out of their vehicles to see what the problem was, though it was rather obvious.

"You all out?" Daryl asked as he and Sam dismounted.

"Runnin' on fumes." Rick said walking a little ways beyond the motorcycle as everyone gathered together to look on at him. They always looked to their leader, the one that knew all the answers and would make things better- so they believed.

"We can't stay here." Maggie said, she'd taken to hugging the shotgun she carried close to her, keeping her voice just above a whisper.

"We can't all fit in one car." Glenn added from besider her, looking toward Rick.

"We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning."

Carol pulled Sophia into her arms a little closer, trying to transfer warmth to her shivering daughter, "Spend the night here?"

"I'm freezing." Carl bursted, glancing to his father before looking to his friends, Erin was wrapped up in one of Jo's flannels, Sophia had a sweater of her own, as did he, but the weather was getting bitter with each passing minute they stood on the quiet back road.

"We'll build a fire, yeah?" Lori rubbed her hands over her sons arms, trying to create heat to soothe him, Rick took off his jacket and put it around him.

"If you go out lookin' for fire wood, stay close. Only got so many arrows. How many you got, sis?"

"Uhhm, 23, maybe." Sam guessed as she glanced toward her quiver still on his bike, she had her bow in her hands, one arrow at the ready, should it be needed.

Daryl nodded to her before looking to Rick, "How you doin' on ammo?"

"Not enough." he grumbled.

Maggie was shifting from foot to foot, nerves getting the best of her on the eerily quiet road, "We can't just sit here with our asses hangin' out."

"Watch your mouth. Everyone should stop panickin' and listen to Rick." Hershel suggested calmly while keep Beth firmly tucked under his arm.

Rick looked all around at the group, the people that looked to him for leadership, for answers, "Alright, we'll set up a perimeter. In the morning we'll find some gas, some supplies. We'll keep pushin' on."

"Glenn and I could go make a run now and try and scrounge up some gas." Maggie offered quietly.

"No, we stay together. God forbid somethin' happens and people get stranded without a car."

"Rick, we're stranded now."

"And time could be better spent than just waiting around for tomorrow." Jo said pointedly at Rick before looking to his sister for back up, Lacey simply nodded in agreement.

Rick took a breath before speaking again, trying to get out of that gruff tone and into something more friendly, calm, "I know it looks bad. We've all been through hell and worse, but at least we found each other... I wasn't sure, I really wasn't, but we did. We're together. We keep it that way... We'll find shelter somewhere, there's gotta be a place."

"Rick, look around. There's walkers everywhere. It's like they're migrating or something." the words from Glenn were less than uplifting, but Rick pushed passed them, "There's gotta be a place. Not just where we hole up, but we fortify. Hunker down. Pull ourselves together, build a life for each other!... I know it's out there. We just have to find it."

"Even if we do find a place. We think it's safe, we can never be sure, for how long. Look what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that was safe." Maggie said.

Hershel seemed to be taking up the role as the voice of reason when he countered his daughter's statement, "We won't make that mistake again."

"We make camp tonight, over there. We'll get on the road at the break of day." Rick pointed toward a patch of stonework that looked like the remains of what used to be an ancient building among the trees. A few crumbled stacked stone walls, it would be better than nothing.

"What if walkers come, or another group like Randall's?" Beth stepped out of her father's reach toward Rick.

"Ya know we found Randall, right? He was turned, but he wa'nt bit." Daryl added since Beth had brought up the topic of their used-to-be prisoner.

"How's that possible?"

"What the hell happened?"

"Shane killed Randall. Just like he always wanted to." Daryl summed up for the group, though his eyes stayed on Rick who seemed to stiffen slightly.

"And then the herd got him?" Silence was the answer to the question. Lacey's heart was hammering harder than ever in her chest, she was positive the others could hear it as she glanced to Sam. The girl put a hand over her bandage and stepped a little closer to Daryl as they all looked to Rick awaiting his answer.

"We're all infected." he finally said.

Lacey's eyes widended, Jenner must have told him too. Her stomach twisted into more knots when the others started expressing their bewilderment and confusion. A guilty shiver shook down her spine when Daryl muttered in a deadly tone, "What..."

The hostility was building and it would only be a matter of seconds before they turned on Rick completely after he gave his explanation, "At the CDC Jenner told me. What ever it is... we all carry it."

"And you never said anything."

"Would it have made a difference?"

Lacey closed her eyes and winced, she couldn't let him take the heat alone, "Jenner told me too... I-I don't know why he trusted me with the information, but he told me everything... It's not the blood, or a bite, or a scratch that turns you into them. It's something already in us, in the brain... that's why the ultimate act of killing a walker is destroying its brain..."

All gazes of animosity and perplexity were turned on to her, but she preferred it that way instead of all on Rick, but some still turned back to him, seething.

"You knew this whole time..."

"How could I know for sure, you didn't see how crazy-"

Glenn cut Rick off sharply, "That's not your call... 'kay, when I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told for the good of everyone."

"I thought it best if people didn't know." Rick defended easily. Glenn scoffed quietly before turned to the blonde with the baby.

"And you, Lacey? What's your excuse?"

"The same..." she shook her head at all of them, "See how you're all reacting now? Would it've been any different if Rick or I spoke up earlier?... No. You would have all responded the same way: confused, scared, aggressive; and for what? Now that you know, what does that mean? What's different now?... Nothing..."

Everyone was quiet, though that didn't mean they accepted her words or understood her or Rick's actions.

"Let's set up camp, get a fire going." Jo broke the silence and guided Amy away toward the broken stone encampment.

A few others followed his actions, while others still stood bewildered in the road. Rick glanced at Lacey, something of gratitude in his eyes shone toward her before he started walking up the road again...

* * *

><p>"Hey." Lacey mummbled quietly and caught her brother's attention.<p>

"Hey." he nodded.

"Are you mad?" she wondered as she picked up a few twigs and sticks worthy of a fire.

"No. You did what you thought was right. I would've done the same. Kept the info. I mean, we probably would've figured it out eventually." Jo shrugged.

"Oh, brother." Lacey sighed in relief, "If only all were as understanding as you." she grinned smally, then glanced back toward the stones where Amy sat with the girls. "So, I'm thinking I might be able to convince Rick to let me go back for Andrea if the search party is smaller. Can I trust you to keep an eye on my little ladies?"

"Does that include Daryl?"

Lacey snorted louder than expected, "Yes, it does."

"Sure. Just..." he turned to look at her full on, "Don't die."

There was fear in his eyes, and stress all throughout his body. He loved Amy, and he loved his sister, but his heart studdered everytime he looked at Lacey. Amy stayed away from the action, away from the situations that would get her hurt- by her decision or Jo or Andrea's suggestion, so he didn't worry, because he always knew where she was, and that she was safe. But his big sister, who strove to be the bravest and protect everyone, who sought out danger... she was wearing thin, and soon, he was sure, she would collapse, she'd be gone... reanimate and become merely a physical vessel for a demon... For once he wished she'd listen to the leader, follow the rules and just be safe. But this was not the day she'd listen or sit down, so he hoped to whoever was listening to his silent prayers that she'd make it back again, unscathed, whether she came back victorious didn't matter, as long as she came back.

"I promise." she nodded and hugged him...

* * *

><p>"Rick, I'm begging you. Just me and Sam, we'll go back. We're volunteering- it's not like you're making us walk the plank or something."<p>

She was cautious about approaching him, after seeing Lori evade his touch and walk away from him moments ago- what ever the deal between them was she was sure she'd hear about it later, but now wasn't the time for proper delicacies, time was a'wastin'.

"No. Neither of you are leaving. We're not takin' the risk, we're not takin' **anymore** risks. We stay together- everyone stays together."

"She is out there somewhere completely alone, she probably thinks we abandoned her. She saved Sam's life, and she's put forth an effort more than expected of her, I can't just let her die. If there's a chance that she's still alive out there, I'm going to find her and bring her back." Lacey shot back, trying to keep calm, becoming shrill wouldn't help her agrument.

"Just like how we found Sophia. We've got a pretty impressive success rate." Sam spoke up with a tinge of humour in her tone.

"Sam." Lacey hissed under her breath.

A few quiet moments passed where Rick looked from the asphalt then toward the sky before looking to the girls. He sighed heavily through his nose before speaking slowly, "If you leave and we end up needin' to abandon this spot you'll never be able to find us."

"We'll take Rocket, she'll be able to sniff you guys out, and Andrea." Sam responded quickly.

Lacey nodded in agreement before adding, "Everyone else is gone, but Andrea could still be out there... Rick, Sam and I are the only ones in this group that aren't giving you the stink eye. We still trust you completely. What ever action or order you make, we'll stand by it, but this... You've got to let us go, one last time..."

"I let you go..." Rick started, glancing between the two of them, "You have 'til sunrise tomorrow to come back. If you're not back. We leave you behind."

"Fair enough." Lacey nodded.

"Square deal. I'll go tell Amy, get Rocket ready." Sam grinned and started for the camp, the fire sparking to life and slowly growing.

"You know I don't want you to do this." Rick said.

Lacey nodded, "It's something I have to do. Robert saved Amy, Andrea saved Sam. It just doesn't feel right to leave her out there, alive or..."

Rick gave a short nod before stepping forward and circling his arms around the small blonde, "You seem like the only friend I got left. Don't let me regret lettin' you go."

She smiled into his shoulder, hugging him tightly, "I won't."

* * *

><p>"Lace, Sam just told everyone, and I don't think you should leave." Just as soon as Lacey came walking back into the camp Lori sprang onto her, pulling her by the arm away from the rest of the group, "You can't leave. You can't leave us here with <em>him<em>. He killed-" her hand flew to her mouth and she shook her head, apparently still unbelieving of what Rick had done, "He _killed_ **Shane**, and he held that information Jenner told him from us. I think he's lost it, truly lost it. He-"

"I kept that information too, Lori." Lacey cut her off, not being able to bear the way Lori was talking about her own husband, the man they looked to as their leader because no one else was strong enough to step up and claim the daunting task. "I did it for all of our safety's sake because I figured everyone would lose their minds and -I don't know- start killing each other, or something... And I'm sure he did what he _had_ to with Shane, he had his reasons, and you saw how Shane was. I mean for god's sake Lori you slept with the man because he _**said**_ your husband was dead. And I mean, how am I to know if he didn't really _rape_ you and you're just too scared to admit it? The man wasn't right in his head. Eversince Rick came into the Atlanta camp, something switched on or switched off in that head of his, and he was just... wrong... He probably would've killed the rest of us after he killed Rick. Would you rather-" Lacey was speaking hushed and stern to begin with, but with each sentence her voice raised louder, irritation in her defending tone, she cut herself off just as she was close to shouting in her friends face.

"Lori." she breathed, "That man is your husband. We all look to him for guidance, and he's doing what he thinks is best for us. He has done so much for us already and **look**!" Lacey gestured to the both of them, "We're still alive because of him."

Lori nodded, somewhat understanding it seemed and Lacey offered a smile,"Stick with him. Through better and through worse, right?" with that she headed back toward the little camp and searched for her bag, though there wasn't much in the way of food, water or supplies, she figured she could check through anyway before she, Sam and Rocket set out for the search.

* * *

><p>"Can I talk to you?"<p>

"You're not going to scold me about running off to find someone again, are you? 'Cause, I mean, at least this time we made an announcement." Lacey chuckled.

"No, I ain't gonna scold you. I trust you to keep yourself alive. Nothin's hurt you yet."

She smiled at him, hearing the underlying pride, "What you want to talk about, will it take long?"

"Uhh, no. I just, uhm, wanted to... ask somethin', but, uhh, it can... it can wait 'til you come back." he winced slightly, already hearing Sam shouting at him for being such a wimp.

She raised a brow, noticing his flinch, "Okay..." she smirked, "Then I've got a question for you." she closed up her bag and slung the strap on her shoulder and across her chest. She walked a little ways away from the group, and without question he followed her until they were close to the roadside. She looked up at him, and all that confidence seemed to escape her when she met his eyes, she chuckled at her own sudden bashfulness, and looked to the ground for a moment, closing her eyes to gain focus before speaking again, "What you said... before you went to search for Randall..." she bit her lip and looked up again, she couldn't find the right wording, "You weren't saying it _just_ to say it, were you?"

He saw the pinch between her eyebrows, her bottom lip captured by her teeth, her hopeful eyes. His stomach flipped- shocked at her disbelief, and terrified she was bringing up the topic that he tried to detour from moments ago. He straightened his posture, "No... I meant it- I mean- I mean it."

Her face relaxed and she breathed out a laugh, "Pretty new to you, isn't it?" she grinned smally.

"Kind of... Yeah...I don't know..."

"If you don't know then how can you be sure if it's true?"

"You tryin' to convince me elseways?" his hands slipped into his pockets and his feet shifted beneath him, taking a step away from her.

"Well... what we have -what ever it is- isn't exactly normal... I mean, the circumstances that brought it on... Not to mention our very first encounter wasn't the most friendly and ignited a fight between me and my brother... In fact I particularly remember us exchanging insults about our names a-and _you_!" her eyes sparked with the fire of the old memory, "You recognized me from my _**ass**_."

He breathed out a laugh, "I didn't recognize you from your ass... I mean, that _**did**_ help, but I remembered your face. 'S a hard face to forget. Ain't usual to remember a dancer 'cause of her face."

"Ah," she let out a snarky laugh, "But if you remember correctly -which you don't- I wasn't dancing at all. In truth, I can't dance. _I_ was just taking my clothes off. But to all you perverse men, just to make you all feel a little less debauchee, the illusion that I was '_dancing_' was planted into your brains."

He rolled his eyes, "The hell you gotta use those big words for? And you were like the main act, how'd you get a job as a _dancer_ if you can't dance."

"Lemme tell you how the interview went." she cleared her throat dramatically, "'Lacey Black. Great stage name!', 'That's my birth name.' 'Oh... Well. Can you dance, Miss Black?' 'No, but I _do_ know how to take my clothes off.' 'You've got the job!'." she raised her arms with a flourish before dropping them back to her sides with a thump. She shook her head, "What I'm trying to say is, how do you know you _love_ me when survival is the main thing on our minds. And-and... how? I mean... how? How long have we known each other, less than a few months?"

He smirked, seeing her in this frazzled state again, her cheeks filling with blood in embarrassment or anxiety, either way, it was rare to see her blush like that, "I don't see how I can't. You know as much about me as I do about you, and you talk _a lot_." he stepped closer to her, looking down into those frantic green eyes smirking a little more, "And I remember _someone_ sayin' somethin' about some people fallin' quicker than others."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, playfully, "How dare you quote me." she laughed quietly, her eyes fell downward as her hands reached toward him and settled on the hem of his shirt, tugging the fabric with her fingers, "So," she looked up again, "you love me?"

He nodded slowly.

"Can you say it?" she asked.

He shook his head and her mouth bursted into a grin before she barked out a chuckle, "Okay... Well, uhh... I love you." her grin turned sheepish as she raised her hands from his shirt to clasp behind his neck and leaned up.

"Ugh!" he groaned when she was just a couple inches away from closing the distance completely.

"What?" she moved back instantly, "What is it?"

"I gotta do this before you leave," he explained, his hands having stayed within his pockets left their confines, both coming up to hold up the object that felt like a lead weight in his trouser pocket since it was given to him. "Sam found this ring, and gave it to me, and it got me thinkin'-"

The moment Lacey's eyes landed on the shining silver they widened considerably larger than he'd ever seen, "No. No, no. Daryl. If this is a joke, it isn't funny. **Marriage** is not funny. How can you even think about that during a time like this?"

"Oh yeah? What about those stories about your parents? How perfect they were together?"

"My mom married my dad so he could stay in the country. It just worked out afterward that they found out that they actually liked each other and could make it work. My dad only thrived because my mom begged her dad to give him work. Then the company's rights were signed off to them and that's why we were so rich. Spontaneity! It was stupid! But it worked for them."

"Darlin'," he started slowly, she'd spoken so fast it was almost comical, but the fear in her eyes wasn't, "you're reactin' just a little bit crazier than I thought you would. I ain't forcin' you or nothin'. I just thought, since our time is, ya know, indefinte, it'd be somethin' nice to..." he trailed off then sighed, "Look, I ain't had a lot of experience with women, but you're the only woman I can tolerate and care about- you and your damn girls. So until the day I can't manage to survive any longer I'd like it if you were my missus."

Lacey truly had been terrified the moment he brought that thin silver band out of his pocket, nothing remotely special about it, no stones, no engraved designs, just shiny with some scratches on it, but the way he said it, his own words of a proposal, so anxious, embarrassed and unsure... He was right, about all the things he said, but mainly about their indefinite time and some falling faster than others. He was right... "...Okay."

He looked up, eyes slightly widened, "What? You'll wear it?" The uncertainity in his expression, her heart swelled and she couldn't stop a smile from breaking across her face.

"Yes, yes. I'll wear it." she laughed, "But I've got to go right now. We'll exchange vows when we get back, lover boy." she offered her left hand out shyly and he stepped closer, slipping it on her ring finger. He felt awkward, she could tell, but since she'd been through this kind of situation before she took the lead, grinning up at him and standing on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

"Missus." she chuckled under her breath and looked to the shining thing, it was a little loose but it would work, "Where'd Sam find this anyway?"

"She said that little town where she got her bow, found it in a jewelry shop."

_'"Think about it. It's the end of the world. Are you really gonna make a bee line to the hunting store instead of the jewelry store or electronics store down the lane?"' _She laughed, "That little sneak..."

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>


	60. 32

**A/N: So here's how it is. This chapter isn't following any canon, since, ya know, I've got nothing to follow. So when season 3 airs, I'll continue this story and sculpt it around whatever and blah blah blah, hopefully it won't be too hard to do so. I like to stick to canon stuff, I'm unimaginative like that. But still, it was a great balance of fun and difficult to write, especially with my character, well... you'll see. But it was very fun to write **_**that**_** part. I actually think this might be a favorite chapter of mine. Huh, imagine that! ****Also there is some sensitive subject matter toward the end of the chapter, I don't want to say any warnings to spoil it, but, uhh, be warned now****. But anyway! Enjoy this chapter, the ****LAST**** chapter (and my longest chapter!), that is straight from me. I'll follow up with a final .5 chapter as well pertaining to the last five chapters. So... yeah. I quite liked how I ended this actually.**

**Oh! And thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

><p><em>Bangarang<em>

* * *

><p>The girls were set to go, ready to head out. They had something snack worthy in the way of food and one water bottle to share between them. Good-bye's and best wishes were given to them, but Lacey couldn't shake the perturbable feeling in her gut, the feeling like their friends were saying their final farewells to them. Their attitudes were grim, which was expected, seeing as they were stranded in the middle of a forest with little to no protection from hostile forces, but still, they could've at least <em>put on<em> like they were going to see each other again. Even Jo was forcing an encouraging smile after they parted from their embrace and Lacey pulled the strap of her bag over her shoulder. The only person who seemed to have faith in them was Daryl. He was confident in their abilities, which was a compliment in and of itself, giving an instant boost of self esteem and hope.

"See you in the mornin'." It wasn't anywhere near a question, or a flimsy hope; it was a statement. He was sure. Just as he said to Sam, if he wasn't _positive_ he wouldn't let her -them- go. Though, it did pain him to let her go. Both of them. Watch them leave and let fear fill his stomach and mind until he saw them coming back. He'd prefer it if she stayed and he went, but she was adamant about him remaining with the group, staying with the girls and playing the part of protector. He was a vital member of the group; the hunter, the tracker, the survivalist. She was expendable. A nurse with a pointy stick and stubborn attitude. Of course she didn't tell him this, she kept it to herself, knowing if she voiced her opinions that there would be no way he'd let her leave.

"Yeah." she nodded, uncurling her arms from around his neck, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders. She looked up at him. His hands were still secure around her waist, falling away inch by inch, but unable to let go completely. He didn't want her to go, but he would let her, this was something she had to do. He just needed his body to agree with his mind.

Lacey moved to step out of his grasp, knowing he wasn't one for public displays of affection, in fact, he wasn't one for displaying much of any emotion at all [aside from irritation, and the occasional witty moments], so when he pulled her back again she was astounded, and even more staggered when his lips covered hers in a way they usually did when in the privacy and seclusion of their own tent. She didn't dare hesistate to return the kiss, savouring all that she could since there was always that chance that something could go suddenly, horribly wrong, and if that happened to be the case during this search and retrieval mission their last kiss would definitely be a good one.

"I love you." She couldn't stop herself from saying it, but at the same time she wouldn't have been able to leave without voicing it. She let out an airy chuckle when he stiffened awkwardly under touch, "You don't have to..." she trailed off with a small smile, looking up to him, and she felt him relax again. Coming from a loveless household, the idea of it, the feeling of it and declaring it aloud to someone was foreign to him, strange, uncomfortable. But he had other ways of conveying it, she just had to decipher the words; he needn't say anything at all, through gestures, and looks, she could find the hidden expression. In fact, the constant new reminder was hugging her finger as proof.

"Come back to me," he said quietly [and there it was, in his own concealed way], their foreheads rested against one another's, "alright?"

Daryl was just like everyone, but especially since Lacey came along and made the enormous discovery that he really did possess a heart. Everyone was scared, jittery, exhausted, and he was just the same, if not a little quieter about. His nerves were getting the best of him and he hated it, he was stalling her and Sam's departure, wasting their precious time and light.

"Yeah." Lacey said again, leaning up to kiss him once more, on his cheek, before pulling away competely from him, knowing that they needed to separate before it would be impossible. She had to take the big step, even though her eyes burned she turned away and toward the road where Sam stood with Amy beside her and Rocket sat between them.

Amy had her arms crossed over her stomach, holding herself to fight off the cold even though she doubled up on some long sleeve flannel button ups that used to belong to Robert. She didn't speak until Lacey was right on the road with them, she started slowly, "If she's... if she's **not** Andrea... would you, umm, you know..." her eyes fell to the asphault beneath their feet, struggling with her words, "She... She would've done the same for me, and I just-"

A hand rested on her shoulder and she pulled her gaze away from the ground and to the blonde smiling sympathetically, "I will." Lacey nodded.

"Thank you." Amy mimicked her smile.

"But for now have some faith in your big sister. Rocket'll sniff her out and we'll find her just fine." Lacey's hand gave a squeeze on the younger woman's shoulder before dropping away.

"I'll keep my expectations low... just in case..." Amy mummbled sullenly, though she kept that smile on her face, "Good luck."...

* * *

><p>"When the hell was this map made, the 1700's? Jesus..." Lacey grumbled, turning the map around in her hands three times before sighing in exasperation. (Glenn had become accustomed to keeping the ancient road map from Dale's RV close to his person, he was known to be an 'errand boy' or 'supply retriever' or sorts after all -previously a pizza deliverer- so he liked to plan his way, so when the journey to find Andrea was decided he handed it over to them. He entrusted the large, creased and yellowing around the edges paper with them with hopes of seeing it again the next morning, as well as Andrea, to plan their route to their next place of 'safety'.)<p>

For the past two and half miles it was quiet, aside from the sounds of their shoes and Rocket's nails clicking on the road, and the occasional faint sound of wild life inside the wooded area on either side of the road. But now that Lacey had pulled out the map the silence was filled grunts and sighs of irritation.

"Gimme that, I'm a wiz with geography." Sam snatched the map away from the blonde's hands and turned it the right side up, she smirked slightly when she saw Lacey's brow scrunch in distaste when she did so. Lacey didn't have a good sense of direction and apparently she wasn't too handy with a map either. But hey, no one was perfect, especially during the apocalypse. What ever useful skill set is available is cherished, applied and exhausted. And Lacey definitely had her own set of skills, but they weren't among bearing an internal compass or navigation. Lacey grumbled profanity under her breath. Sam contained her grin as much as she could, letting her eyes move over the map before coming to a conclusion, "So we're about... 10 miles away, give or take, from the jammed highway. Hershel's farm was about 12 miles out from the highway... So if Andrea has a good sense of direction, something of which you weren't blessed with, she could already be out there with all the cars."

Lacey chose to ignore Sam's blatant jab at her, though her eyes narrowed slightly, "And if she doesn't have a good sense of direction, we're heading into the trees... again..."

"Yeah... Where countless walkers are using them as a _path_ to 'migrate'..." Sam replied grimly, she paused before speaking again, her tone much more perky, "How you do feel about climbing some trees again?" Sam grinned fakely.

"Ugh." Lacey groaned, "Not likely. If this works out like I hope it will we'll be back with the group around sunrise. Small breaks, no sleeping. We have to get back to them."

"Right." Sam nodded in agreement and folded up the map before handing it back to Lacey. The blonde took it and put it back into her bag, her eyes raised up again and set forward, watching Rocket walk ahead of them and scoping out the horizon for movement. She carried her shashka and knife, and Sam had her bow and arrows, quiet weapons. But Jo insisted they take a gun, just in case, even though they were low on ammo he gave them a full clip. The gun was settled at the bottom of her bag, the safety on, and that's most likely where it would stay. A gun created noise, noise attracted walkers. Movement, scent and noise attracted them, as far as Lacey had gathered. The scent of blood. Fresh, living blood. She found it so strange, this _infection_, her curious mind wandered, wondering and thirsty for information.

Light was fading from the sky, but the sun still caught on the band of silver around Lacey's finger. The ring was scratched and lacked it's original sheen, but against Lacey's dirty skin it noticeably glowed. Sam's stomach flipped, '_He did it. He __**actually**__ did it._' she withheld the girlish squeal that desperately wanted to escape her throat and smothered the ridiculous smile that threatened to take over her face in a way that would most likely look painful and disturbing rather than overjoyed.

Lacey was quickly pulled from her thoughts before she could even begin to scratch the surface of her ponderings, theories and ideas when Sam spoke up again.

"_Say_," the younger began sarcastic slyness in her tone, she broke and a grin started to grow, "I spy something a'shinin' on your finger. What could that _possibly_ be?"

Lacey was confused for half a moment before she lifted up her hand to see the ring, a goofy grin of her own taking over her face. "He's gone and made an honest woman out of me." she tweaked her voice into a southern twang as she waved her hand in front of her face as if fighting back tears. She laughed and let her hand drop, looking forward again, but the smile hadn't left her face.

"So does that make you, like, Mrs. Dixon or something."

"Hey! Woah!" Lacey's hands flew up in front of her as if shielding the title away from her, blocking it, "I wouldn't go so far as to say that... yet... maybe..."

Sam nodded, smirking at how quick she was to defend herself, how similar she and Daryl could be, how young and childish she spoke and acted sometimes- even during these times. Sam was glad to have found her and even more glad not to have stumbled upon people from a group like Randall's. Lacey was sweet, and funny, strong, determined and protective... But she realized she didn't know much about the woman she'd grown so very fond of. Aside from the basic things like: the tragedy that claimed her parents, she was born in New York, and she was a nurse before _this_. Most of the information had come from another source though, and even then she'd only been given tid bits. All she was told never came straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Recalling their mapped out trek in her head she knew they had miles to go, so this was as good a time as any to try and rouse story time. "So... I've heard _some_thing about _some_ guy from before all this that _would've_ been your Mr. Lacey Black. What's that all about?"

Lacey smirked, "What else has Daryl told you?" knowing there was no other culprit to blame.

"Not a lot." Sam shrugged, "It's more like mentionings, I never get a full story. But he got pretty bitchy about _that_ guy. And uhh, we've got a bit of time on our hands, so care to explain as we journey?"

Lacey sighed with a laugh, "Okay..." she paused, almost like she was building up the suspense for Sam (or preparing herself to dig up old thoughts she'd buried in the back of her mind) before she breathed out a large breath and stated clearly, if not slightly rushed, "He was my fiancé."

"O_oo_h." Sam's eyes widened the tiniest fraction of an inch, "That explains the bitchy-ness. I was expecting ex-boyfriend or something, but fiancé that's like... more than a punch to the gut. Was the guy a jerk or something?"

"No," Lacey tried not to laugh at her quick assumptions, "The engagement was always on, even when _this_ started. But then, ya know, before all sources of communication and media were cut a list of all the cities that were hit hardest and were basically, uhh, unsalvagable were listed... New York was one of the top five, that's where he was, and I was here. No hope of governmental intervention and rescue... I mourned." she shrugged, "And I didn't have the ring he gave me, I left it at home. I didn't really wear it much -the thing was huge and gaudy as hell- but, umm, I wasn't engaged anymore... But then I discovered the voicemail." she paused with a shake of her head, "Now I don't know what the fuck to think anymore. There's a 50/50 chance he's still alive out there and trying to find me, but..." she trailed off, and there was a long moment of silence until she turned to Sam looking straight at her, "Am I a bad person? I mean, the news clearly stated that New York was a lost cause, but that message came **after** landlines were cut and media stopped, and I hadn't turned my phone on in a while, so that message was just waiting there, and I'd already _been_ with Daryl a few times. I felt so guilty after hearing the message, but... but the chances. It's impossible, right? And that doesn't mean the engagement is back on just because he's _maybe_ alive, right? Like, I was sure he was dead, and I moved on, but don't get me wrong, I had no intention of _moving_ _on_, Daryl just... happened, I guess. And it grew, and now it's this and-and... Keenan should've been with me in the first place, I mean. We were going to be married, but where was he? Thousands of miles away! I mean, it's confusing, because I don't want to be like the 'Apocalypse Slut', but, I mean, like... ya know?"

Sam's eyes were wide and unblinking, "...No." she finally managed, she let her eyelids flutter, moistening her stunned dry eyes before she spoke again, "Holy crap, is that how you used to normally talk? With your friends? Were you made by means of a '_Weird Science_' experiment? Is 'Barbie Girl' stuck on repeat in your head and you're not sure why? Oh, my god! Did this Keenan guy get called 'Ken' sometimes? As a nickname?"

"Shut up." Lacey rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh at Sam's burst of silly assumptions, again. Though in truth it had distracted her for a moment long enough to calm her nerves, "I'm not a Barbie doll brought to life. I tend to talk fast when I feel anxious or guilty."

"With a Valley girl dialogue and a Queens accent."

"Oh, my god, shut up." she played into it.

Sam gestured a hand at her with a 'See!' look on her face.

Lacey grinned, "Shut up." she repeated in her normal tone and Sam chuckled to herself.

"Okay." Lacey sighed, and began slowly, "Do you think I'm a bad person for starting this... relationship with Daryl while there's a 50/50- well... 90/10 chance that my fian-" she shook her head at how much she was correcting herself, Sam noted, she obviously never actively thought about the subject, or spoke to someone else about it, her thoughts were run-on and jumbled, just like how she was speaking, "If my _ex_-fiancé is still alive and looking for me."

"No, you're not a bad person." Sam smiled smally, shaking her head as she continued, "You love Daryl. Loving someone doesn't make you a bad person. And it's not like you tossed your ring off and jumped the first guy you saw right when _it_ started... or did you?"

"No." a slight upturn touched the corner of her mouth when Lacey answered.

"Then you're not a bad person... or an Apocalypse Slut." the younger chuckled, "I don't wanna get all gushy romance novel, but look at Glenn and Maggie, they found love in this catastrophy. Why not you?"

Lacey laughed under her breath, "You're inspiring, young archer." she really meant it too, though it sounded sarcastic, she meant it. Sam had a way with words, she was able to yank Lacey out of a mental or emotional rut so easily it was almost strange.

"So you've said in the past. But back to what we were talking about before. Details!" the girl demanded with a smile...

Lacey regaled Sam with stories of _before_. Talking about her countless jobs, even about the job that established the minor connection between her and Daryl before they even knew each other. She talked about where Ben and Rob worked, where Jo went to school and what he majored in, how he was a target for bullies she'd have to beat up. She told her about meeting Lori, then Rick. Babysitting Carl. She touched on the brief romance she shared with Keenan, then the engagement. Any and all questions Sam had she answered to the best of her ability. Miles were passing by, they were getting closer to their destination.

"...So... you were going to be Lacey Grady?..."

The blonde gave a short nod. And the teen clicked her tongue against her cheek, "I gotta tell ya, doesn't have a nice ring to it. Not like Lacey Dixon." she smirked, the somewhat sarcastic comment caused Lacey to laugh out loud.

"Lacey Dixon sounds like the old woman down the street that sometimes forgets to put her clothes on before she goes out to get the morning paper."

"Hmm." Sam hummed, a laugh building in her chest, "Well... that's just... awful..." she snorted, "What if we combined the names. Like Blixon. Blacon. Dlack."

"I think you've run out of questions and boredom is taking over or you're crossing the line into insanity." Lacey giggled.

"A little of both, I think... Irish accent would of been cool, you'd probably develop one after a while. Oh, but you've already got that Scottish thing going."

"How much further, helmsman?" Lacey smiled and pulled the map from her bag. Sam took the folded heavy paper and started searching and plotting. Lacey glanced upward, they were losing a lot of light, a few cars littered the road around them, they were nearly to the jammed highway, but then from there... well, "We've got maybe another mile or so until we're in the heart of the auto boneyard, if Andrea isn't roaming around there then we'll have to head into the forest."

"Gravy." Lacey sighed heavily, taking the map back. She offered water to girl, but she declined wanting to save it for Andrea when they found her. Not _if_ they found her, _**when**_ they found her, that's how she'd said it. Sam had such an undistorted faith in humanity, Lacey wished she could share that feeling, but with each passing day... it was getting harder and harder to believe that they might actually survive this... like this will be something in the past, taught in history books and told like war stories. Just a nightmare of what used to be.

"So..." once again Sam had saved Lacey from her own mind before it ran away from her, before it got too dark and she wouldn't be able to find her way to the light again. "What did you want to be when you were younger?"

The question was so ordinary. Such a normal question compared to the ones they were talking about before, about _the_ _before_ times. Or the other questions they heard daily concerning food, water and shelter, but above all the main question of, 'What are we going to do?'.

Lacey chuckled as she thought breifly before answering smoothly, "Intially, I wanted to be a Lost Boy. Go to Never Never Land, hang out with Peter Pan, fight pirates, _fly_. I really, really, _really_ didn't want to grow up... I had this firm belief that it was all real, and I'd take JoJo and Robbie with me... And I mean, there weren't any Lost Girls, so I wanted to make a change to that, even if it deemed me just as un-clever as a boy." she shrugged with a laugh. Sam saw a blush fill her cheeks.

"What about Ben?" Sam wondered.

"He wasn't one for fantasy stories."

"I'm sure he would've liked the mermaids." Sam grinned smally.

"Bangarang." a quiet bout of laughter took over the two. Lacey sobered up before Sam, a giggle still in her voice as she asked, "What about you? What did you want to be?"

"Paleontologist." Sam said quickly, "My dad showed me Jurassic Park when I was really little. Scared the hell out of me, but I totally fell in love with it."

"Way to make me feel like a kid, kid."

The teen shrugged simply, "We can still dream." She was right, considering what they dreamed about when they slept - if they slept- was far less care free and fantastical than the recurring images they witnessed and scenes of horrific probability that plagued their resting hours. An easy flight around Never Never Land or a paleontological dig... much better than carnage...

* * *

><p>"Sun's starting to go." Lacey mummbled as they swerved through the skeleton like cars; dead, empty, quiet. It was eerie, even more so as the light started to fade. Lacey's keen eyes stayed glued to Rocket who moved through the junkyard quickly, sniffing and searching for any sign, any scent of Andrea.<p>

She peeled her eyes away when Sam hauled herself on top of a sedan and stood on the roof, she turned her gaze to the bordering forest, the place that Sophia had run into and started a chain reaction of hellish events. She wandered toward the car whose windshield was turned into a sign for Sophia in case the girl had managed to make her way back to the highway while they were on the Greene Farm. She leaned against the vehicle, most of the painted letters had faded away, washed off and worn away by the weather.

So much hope. They had so much hope in the places they found refuge in. The camp near Atlanta, it was originally meant to be temporary. A place on the sidelines, away from the chaos, but close enough that when the government sorted everything out they would be found easily and could go home quickly and continue on with their lives. But then came the bombings, then everything went off line... But surely something would be done, once other cities were fixed up they (the government) would come and fix theirs... No one ever came, but they still hoped. But that little camp was vulnerable, out in the open, far from safe, and that was proven the night a hoard of walkers attacked. Bodies were burned and buried and a decision had to be made; they needed to relocate, but to where...  
>The CDC was Rick's idea, it was madness, then salvation. An impenetrable fortress, what's out stays out. But, similarily, what they sound found out, what's in stays in. A scientist, a lone man, who had lost all hope and given up completely believed he was granting them mercy by taking them with him. It was all over, it seemed, until after much convincing he had a change of heart. He perished, but his research and knowledge lived on in two individuals. The CDC was destroyed, another safe haven falsly validated.<br>Fort Benning, a military base, was their next move. 100 miles from Atlanta would seem a simple trip in the world _before_ but in the world _after_ it was a long, arduous and the beginning of a series of unfortunate events to follow. The jammed highway would never allow them to pass. A herd of walkers raised confusion, but mainly fear. One of their own disappeared among the miles of forestland. One of their own shot. Which brought them to the Greene Farm.  
>A farm owned by a retired veterinarian who orchestrated the surgery and saving of Carl Grimes' life. Sanctuary. Solitude. They could manage, they could live. Wait it all out until it was finally over. Survive and thrive. A barn full of walkers said otherwise. More lives lost, more bodies buried, more corpses burned, but this time an new enemy introduced. Humans who should come together and help one another against their common antagonist, but instead draw on each other. A foe injured and captured... tortured. A question of morality and humanity. A lost one found, two men killed, and some lost during the retreat from the invasion of the farm. Another temporary home lost, destroyed.<p>

No where would ever be safe. No where, it seemed, would they find hope, salvation, humanity.

"She's got nothing." Sam mummbled, "I think we'll have to head into the trees."

Lacey sighed quietly, pushing off of the car and letting out a low whistle, calling Rocket back to them. "Promise me something." she said as the younger woman climbed down from the roof of the car, jumping down and adjusting her pack and quiver, her bow was ever present, tightly gripped in her left hand. She sent a curious yet wary glance at the woman, offering a short nod for her to continue. "In case the worst should happen-"

"I know, I know. Don't look back, just keep running." Sam cut her off quickly, disliking the subject, a topic that was an active theme shown vividly in her dreams. Blonde hair stained red with blood, burned red and tan flesh ripped, torn and gnawed on. Inwards spilling out onto the earth. A blade lay on the ground, just out of reach, but even as the walking dead feasted on her her hand struggled to grab for it, fingers wriggling to touch the handle. Her screams were the worst part. She'd never really heard Lacey scream before, only the one time when she almost lost it when her brothers died, but even then she kept herself under control. Agonizing, painful, horrible screams haunted her mind... and she could never move to help her, her feet felt like they were encased in cement, her voice didn't work and all she could do was watch as Lacey was devoured until dead... Just the thought of the recurring dream made Sam's stomach roll unpleasantly.

"Yes. But I'm serious this time, Sam. Do **not** try to save me. You just think about yourself. You take Rocket with you and you think about getting back to Rick, Daryl, Jo and the others. You tell them what happened and you all just carry on. You teach Carl and the girls how to fight, how to protect themselves and each other. You keep Daryl in the group, even if he says he doesn't need them to survive, you keep him with you. Don't let him leave you. He needs the group just as much as they need him. Jo can teach you basic first aid. Don't let Honey get cold in winter. And never go anywhere alone."

Rocket came trotting up just as Sam clenched her jaw before speaking, "You sound like them."

"Like what?" Lacey glanced back toward the trees, but after a few long moments of the girl ceasing to respond she looked back.

"Like you're scared. Like you're giving up..." Sam's eyes were slightly watery, but her jaw was still set, she looked more angry than disheartened.

Lacey sensed Sam's feeling of betrayel but brushed it away for the time being, "It's just a precaut-"

Rocket let out a whimpering yelp, her ears perked forward, her attention held firmly on the forest. A whine escaped her throat, again and again until she let out another begging bark, shifting on her paws as she did so.

Lacey glanced from the dog to Sam, both their expressions had changed. Grim and aggravated turned to elated and buoyant.

"Rocket." Lacey lay her hand on the grip of her blade, turning to follow the hounds gaze, "Go."...

* * *

><p>Lacey was lagging, but like she had said, she never was much of a runner. Rocket was the very definition of her name, and Sam was doing well in keeping up with the canine. Leaping over logs and holes, undetoured by the lumpy and uneven terrain that was the forest floor. Strangely though, they didn't see any walkers. None roaming around aimlessly, none drawn to the scent that Rocket had picked up, it was unsettling, but not as much as a forest packed with walkers would have been.<p>

Lacey let out a sharp, quick whistle, hoping that would be enough to slow Rocket down and allow her to catch up. And it did. Rocket slowed, but she was anxious on her feet, looking back at Lacey and Sam who fought to catch their breath.

"She had better not have a defective nose." Lacey breathed. Rocket whined, snorting through her nose as if to disagree toward Lacey's remark. "Okay," she mummbled, gulping in some more air and swallowing to moisten her burning dry throat, "Alright. Let's go again."

* * *

><p>"I feel like... we've been running... for miles."<p>

"She's leading us somewhere... Let's hope it's to the someone... we're looking fo-"

"Oh my god." Lacey squinted, though her head felt like it was absolutely spinning, her lungs were shrinking and her throat felt like sandpaper she was sure her eyes weren't failing her. Moderately clean blonde hair, somewhat dirtied clothes, no rotting tone to the skin, a familiar duffel that looked emptier than before hanging from a shoulder. There were three -no- six walkers closing in on her and she looked positively tapped out. Andrea was still alive, still kicking, still fighting. She fought off one with her gun, battering its brains out, literally. But there was a shake in her limbs, exhaustion all about her. She'd be done for before they could even reach her.

"Rocket go. Go!"

The dog surged forward. She would be able to protect Andrea until they got there. It was all working out. **Actually** working out. The luck of it all, Lacey had thought, that is, until she saw the gleam of a blade and her eyes caught on the length of chain connected to two of the six walkers. The chains seeming to meet at the source in front of them, the one with the blade... But walkers didn't carry weapons, walkers couldn't do much aside from walk and eat... the shining blade started to raise, but Rocket wouldn't be able to tell... not until it was too late.

Lacey's eyes widened and she pushed herself harder, her legs worked faster, "Shit! One of them isn't a walker! Rocket!"

Rocket jumped over Andrea and hit the walker above her like a bullet. She tore at its neck with her teeth, whipping her head savagely and keeping it pinned with her paws and body weight until she was sure it couldn't and wouldn't move anymore. The glimmering blade from the hooded figure fell in shock, but rose again when it looked in the direction from where the dog had come. Then it stumbled when Rocket jumped at the next walker, which was one of the two that was leashed to it. The hood fell when the chain jerked from the figure's grip. And a woman let out a sound of irritation before looking back to Lacey.

"Sam, stay back!" Lacey called and dropped her bag away from her shoulder and pulled her blade out just as she came to a skidding stop before the woman, creating a barrier in front of Andrea. The mysterious woman took on a defensive stance and Lacey shifted her grip on her handle just before she blocked the first attack as her opponent's blade came down. Lacey responded with a counter-attack, all her hours and hours of fencing coming in handy then as she fought the woman. The sounds of clinking blades and Rocket's vicious growls filled the quiet forest air. Sam ran forward and helped Andrea up, quickly guiding her away from the dangerous combat. The teen called for Rocket, and they watched the battle continue until they were stuck in a struggle for the upper hand. Blades crossed and faces a foot apart. They had reached an impasse.

A grin pulled on Lacey's face as she nodded to the blade crossed with hers, a katana, just as lethal as her shashka, "Pretty good with that." she breathed out the compliment.

The woman responded with a nod of her own, "Not too bad yourself."

"Truce?" Lacey offered, her grin growing broader. The woman was a formidable opponent. Her skin was dark, and her hair was sorted into thick braids, her attire was simple beneath her hooded covering. She seemed to be traveling alone, apart from her two collared walkers, one of which was destroyed by Rocket. The dark woman gave a short nod, a faint smirk blooming at the corners of her lips, she was actually very pretty- when she wasn't scowling. Both women pulled their swords away slowly, and put them back into their respectable scabbards and holsters.

Lacey and the female swordsman stared at each other for a few long moments, assessing each other as they caught their breath from their bout. Rocket growled from beside Sam and she saw they still weren't quite alone, "Uh, looks like we've got a few more." she noted aloud, pulling the women away from each others gazes as she pulled an arrow back and let it fly. It sunk into the closest of walkers that were headed toward them, five or six were ambling past the trees, down the slight hill that led to the open area where they stood.

"Help Andrea." Lacey nodded to her discarded bag. She glanced to the woman and both unsheathed their weapons again, easily taking care of the walkers in a matter of seconds.

Blades cleaned of a gore and sheathed with a satisfying shunking sound, the woman nodded toward Lacey, "Your dog?"

Lacey nodded.

"She's pretty good. Trained her to kill _them_?"

"Yeah. Pretty sure she was a police dog before this, so she knows how to take an offender down. Tried to call her off when I saw you though. Walkers don't usually make it a habit of carrying weapons."

The woman snorted slightly, "I was _going_ _to_ save who I assume is your friend over there. But that dog bursted out of nowhere and ripped it to shreds, then took one of mine."

"Yeah, about that." Lacey nodded to the lone chained walker a few yards away, shifting from foot to foot, "Why did you have those walkers with you? Pets?"

"Cover my scent as I travel. Took off their jaws and arms so they couldn't grab or bite me."

Lacey looked at the woman, and a smile grew on her face again, "Genius."

"I try." the woman shrugged with a small grin.

The blonde stuck her hand out to the dark chocolate skinned woman, "Lacey."

"Michonne." their hands connected and briefly shook before falling away.

"So, uhh, your walkers...they weren't, ya know, close to you, were they?" Lacey wondered.

"Nah, not anymore. After my boyfriend and his friend were attacked I figured things weren't getting any closer in the ways of help or a cure, so I ought to go mobile. Fixed and chained them up to use to my advantage. Been on my own since." Michonne explained simply.

"Amazing..." Lacey chuckled, "I_ like you_."

Michonne laughed half heartedly, "You're alright too. Never actually fought someone with this," she put a hand on the handle of her katana,"before, aside from, what did you call them? Walkers?" she paused for Lacey's confirmation and continued when the little blonde gave a nod, "For a second there I thought you might actually stick me."

Lacey chuckled and noticed Sam and Andrea walking over.

"This is Michonne." she introduced before Sam could make a snappy or obtuse comment which Lacey knew she had lined up just by looking at her smug face. Sam deflated slightly and Lacey smirked, "Andrea," she gestured to the exhausted blonde who forced a smile, "and Sam." The teen murmured a greeting, "And Rocket." she rested a hand on top of the panting dog's head.

Michonne nodded, "So, is it just you four?"

"Hey, woah!" Sam stepped up, hands up in the air like she was a referee, "How do we know we can trust you? I mean, don't get me wrong, you are a **total** badass, but.." she trailed off and planted her hands on her hips, a defiant demeanour in her stance and attitude.

"We've run into some, uhh, not so friendly humans before." Andrea supplied.

Michonne seemed to be unoffended and proceeded to defend herself, "I've been travelling by myself since _this_ all started. You're the first survivors I've encountered. And honestly, even with that sword fight, I'm glad to see some real living people again... that aren't mindless and flesh eating."

"Yeah, but how can we know for sure...?" Sam narrowed her eyes, but instead of the intended terrifying effect she'd probably hoped for it came off as absurd.

"Uhh," Michonne stifled the laugh in her throat, "I'm not from here. If you couldn't tell by the accent, or lack thereof."

"Hmm," Sam hummed, "I guess... I mean, you're very tactical. Those _guys_ were guns blazing..." she eyed the woman before crossing her arms over her chest, "Okay."

There was a moment of silence where Lacey bit her lip to keep from bursting into hysterical laughter, then cleared her throat, "Well, now that we have Samantha Rome's seal of approval I suggest we head back. Are you alright Andrea?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine... I didn't think anyone would come back for me."

"Well... we run the risk of losing the rest of the group. Sunrise they're going to pick up and move. But hopefully we'll make it back before then, with Rocket guiding the way we should be fine." Lacey replied and pulled her bag over her shoulder.

"So there are more of you..." Michonne concluded.

"Yes. A fairly large group of us... though... we've lost many along the way..." Lacey explainly sullenly and prompted Rocket to head them off in the right direction, back toward the makeshift camp miles and miles away. Quiet fell all around them for the first mile... the second mile... the third and fourth.

"You're married?" Michonne's voice broke the silence as they entered what Sam believed was the fifth mile, she couldn't tell for sure since Rocket had favoured guiding them through the trees instead of by road this time. She was a trustworthy hound though, saved lives even, so they followed her lead. Lacey snapped her gaze in Michonne's direction, and saw the woman nod toward her shining ring. Andrea and Sam were looking at the simple piece of jewelry too, though Sam knew everything there was to know about the relationship behind the ring, Andrea was particularly startled by it.

Lacey's glance fell to her ring. The memory of Daryl slipping it onto her finger after his awkward yet perfect proposal played in her mind. Andrea looked on with the same curious expression as Michonne, while Sam looked at her expectantly. Lacey could practically hear the young girls thoughts, '_Well? Mrs. Lacey Dixon or no? Go on, tell the nice lady, don't be shy._'

"Uhhh." Lacey moved the ring around slightly with her neighbouring fingers.

'_You're tough, I know you are. But __**I love you**__, and you have to listen to me this time. Please stay._'

The words sounded loudly in her head, the first and maybe only time he'd said the actual phrase.

'_I'd like it if you were my missus._'

She chuckled under breath, '_Missus_.'

"Yeah... I am."she answered a moment later with a small smile. She saw Sam brighten up and quickly added with a laugh, "But the title 'Mrs. Dixon' is still out of the question."

From there Sam proceeded to tell Michonne about the people she'd meet once they got back to camp. She explained about Honey and Erin, two orphans Lacey had saved. She briefly touched on Ben and Robert, unsure if the subject was still touchy or not. And in full detail talked about Daryl Dixon, sharing some things that even Lacey hadn't known about; like when he'd complain to Sam about how shitty he was with 'expressin' his feelin's''. The miles seemed to pass a little quicker with Sam's accompanying stories...

Darkness had consumed the sky completely now, but the moon had yet to make its appearance. Bugs were singing their nightly songs and Sam's voice had quieted before extinguishing completely. Twigs and dry fallen leaves crunched beneath their feet. They all stayed close together, not wanting to drift apart and become lost. Fatigue was starting to get to them as well, and the child like question was repeating itself in their heads, 'Are we there yet?'. It was impossible to read the map, with no moon to form some source of light they just had to keep going until the pale sphere made its route and decided to be seen.

"I can't see shit." Michonne mummbled quietly.

Lacey huffed a laugh, "Good thing we brought- ah!" she yelped, cutting herself off. She stopped and nearly doubled over and she put her hands to her stomach, the pained area. It had been a dull, annoying feeling before, for the past hour, but she'd ignored it, assuming it was just her aching stomach, but it wasn't just that now. She gasped quietly, the pain was so sharp and sudden, throbbing.

"Lacey!" Sam hissed in the darkness, trying not to shout as she and Andrea, with difficulty, located and rushed to the crumbling blonde. Michonne was closer, placing an arm on Lacey's back, her hand on her waist just in case she'd need to catch her.

"What's wrong?" Andrea asked, uselessly squinting in hopes of seeing what was causing her pain, looking all over the girl for any wounds or blood. The moon emerged through the clouds, nearly as full and huge as it was the previous night, watching over the Greene Farm become demolished and overrun with walkers. The light shone through the trees and the older blonde gasped audibly. Sam followed Andrea's gaze, eyes widened as large as the moon. Lacey hadn't heard the sound of shock though, she was too preoccupied with the pain in her lower abdomen. It was a familiar pain, she knew it well, eversince she was 13, she came to understand it and identify it. But it made no sense.

"I don't know-" Lacey mummbled, whimpering slighly, "It just hurts, just like... cramps, or something."

Andrea stepped back a little, unsure of what exactly to say. Sam saw it too and put a hand over her mouth. The small but growing pool on her jeans between her legs. Blood. "Lacey..." she began slowly, "I think you... I mean, you might've been, uhhm..."

Lacey looked up from her slumped position to the teen who appeared to have a teary sheen in her eyes, "...pregnant." Sam finally offered quietly, a slight crack in her voice.

Lacey's eyes widened and she quickly looked down, her breath caught in her throat when she took notice of the dark dampening in her pants, "Oh god." she breathed, "Oh, my god..."

'_It's not possible. Is it? __**Yes, of course it's possible, you of all people know it's very possible**__. But... how many days since I've missed it? __**I don't know, I lost track after the second month**__. Okay, think back to the first time with Daryl... When was the first time... __**Close to a month ago?**__Maybe, give or take... __**A month? An entire month there was something... growing... living...**__ Oh, my god._'

"It's possible." Lacey breathed below a whisper, but then winced when another stab of pain hit her, "Ow, god. That's... oh, my god... I didn't even know. I..."

"We need to keep moving." Michonne looked to each of them, she rubbed her hand against Lacey's shoulder, "The blood will attract them. You can still walk?"

For few long moments the blonde didn't speak, she just watched the blood soak into the fabric of her jeans, '_Impossible. No. __**Yes. Actually**__._' the contradicting thoughts kept battling in her head, she tried to shake them away and focus, "Yeah..." she mummbled, "Yeah. I just... I need something to stem the..." she trailed off and looked to the women around her.

Michonne let go of her to open up her bag and pull out exactly what she needed, "Thanks." Lacey took it and put it to use. "I-" she winced for a moment, "I should ditch these pants. With all the blood it'll just guide them to us. It'll be better if I leave them here."

"You'll freeze!" Sam noted as Lacey took her boots off before she pulled the soaked things away from her legs.

"It isn't that cold yet, if we move quickly we'll be able to make it back within the next couple of hours. Right? Let's go." Lacey offered as she slipped her boots back on, she didn't wait for a response, "Rocket, let's go." she nodded to the dog and she quickly started trotting ahead of them, leading the way again.

Lacey held a hand to her stomach as the trek continued, wincing quietly every now and then, but staying silent otherwise. The women who flanked her were beyond worried. They were all positive it wasn't just a regular monthly, none of them had been on a normal cycle since this all began. The stress threw everything off. But Lacey had said herself that she hadn't had so much as a spotting in a long time. She had been pregnant, just a month, but a piece of Daryl had attached to a piece of her and created something, something microscopic but living. But with the stress; physical, emotional and mental, Lacey faced... it couldn't survive... and her body was voiding it...

But she was continuing on, seemingly fine aside from the occasional gasp now and then. Her pants were long gone, but still had socks; knee high, and her boots, Ben's hoodie on her was like a short dress, and the closer she pulled it around her the better she felt, she was fine- she assured them.

A mile passed and the moon was disappearing behind clouds, reappearing less often than needed. Sam's ears suddenly caught something, faint... melodic. She stepped up her pace to fall into stride with Lacey.

"Are you humming?" she asked hushedly.

"Yes. My 'Calm Down' song, that's what Robbie used to call it. Calms me down." Lacey answered just a quietly, but very, very quickly. She was anxious again, more so than before. "The realization of the situation has finally hit me and I'm sort of freaking out." she continued to hum, and Sam noticed her interlaced fingers were tapping against her stomach in a steady beat as well.

"What the hell are you humming?"

"Toxic Love. Ya know, from FernGully? It came out around the time my parents died, and I know it's a song about pollution but it's always had a way of chilling me out. It's something psychological, I know. I even have back up songs, but they're not working either."

"It's gonna be okay, Lacey." Sam murmured softly, reaching her hand to rest on Lacey's arm.

"It's just... it's insane. I-I mean, I didn't even know, but now it's like... it doesn't even matter now. But... imagine if it kept going... I could never. I mean, I-I-I couldn't-" Lacey inhaled sharply, "Bringing a life into this world... This mad world?... A-And Daryl. What would he have done? He'd... he'd..."

"He would've freaked out like you are." Sam paused, "Well, maybe not exactly like you are. But he'd freak, but then, he'd get super protective. And he'd be... happy."

Lacey's eyes snapped to look to Sam, confusion, fear. Sam smiled smally, "To create a life... with you?" she snorted quietly, "He'd be ecstatic."

A twitch in the corner of Lacey's mouth caused Sam's smile to broaden, and she noticed Lacey's tapping fingers had stopped their beat, as did her humming. "And you know," she grinned, "That baby will be absolutely gorgeous."

Lacey and Sam chuckled.

Sam... Sam Rome the Post Apocalyptic Counselor. Exclusively counsels Warrior Princess: Lacey Black...Dixon...

The journey continued another mile or so before Lacey called Rocket to stop. The moon was hidden again and the clouds weren't relenting. When Lacey's lighter ceased to ignite Michonne offered a match from one of the few books she had in her bag. With the match lit Sam looked over the map, and with her best estimate she said six to eight more miles before they were within screaming distance from the little camp. Her phrasing had sent an unnerving shiver through them and she quickly apologized, admitted she weirded herself out with her choice of words as well. The match burned out and the women moved on.

Michonne and Lacey were bringing up the rear with Sam, Andrea and Rocket a yard or two in front of them. The pain in Lacey's stomach had lessened to a dull throbbing, though the occasion stab still came, but she'd just bite her tongue to keep from crying out.

"So, uhh," Lacey began awkwardly, "There's this thing I told Sam that, uhh, in case the worst should happen to me that she should worry about herself and just run. And... Well, I hadn't anticipated actually finding Andrea, and I definitely hadn't anticipated crossing blades with you." she chuckled quietly, "Glad I did though." she added quickly, through the darkness she could see the slight smirk on Michonne's mouth and continued, "Anyway, the same goes for you... Just... Just in case. Do not worry about me, don't try to save me, just focus on getting to safety. And if it's not too much trouble drag Sam with you, 'cause I know she says she _hears_ what I say but **doing** what I say is an entirely different thing. She'll be able to take you back to the group, and if you do manage; find Rick Grimes, tell him what happened. And if you meet Daryl, tell him..." she paused, what message would she want to have passed along? Nothing cliché, nothing he already knew... "Tell him I'll be fine." she nodded with finality.

"Just in case." Michonne said in agreement, "But you can tell your man that yourself."

"Right." Lacey grinned.

Another mile, or was it two. The ache in their legs and back said something like 1000 miles, and they weren't even close to the encampment.

"I never want to walk again." Sam grumbled.

"Tell that to the empty gas tanks in our cars..." Lacey grumbled back.

All too suddenly their exhausted attitudes vanished at the sound of Rocket's threatening growl.

With what light the night sky offered Lacey glanced toward the silhouettes around her, she tried not to speak, signaling with her hands that they should split up and spread out, weapons ready and listen carefully. She tapped a finger to her lips and then took hold of Michonne's wrist for a moment, guiding them somewhere among the thick tree trunks, Andrea, Sam and Rocket going the opposite way.

The time they spent pressed against tree bark, ears perked and almost ringing with defeaning quiet felt just as long, if not longer than the time they had spent walking. Lacey had the handle of her blade tight in her grip, she held her breath as she strained to listen for anything... And that's when she noticed it, there was no sound at all. Not even bugs, all was quiet...

CRACK!

A twig snapped and echoed. She felt her heart pound a little faster. She glanced to the left, Michonne had wandered a little further to her left, but how far she didn't know. Was it her foot that had stepped on that twig? She had no idea where Andrea, Sam and Rocket were, maybe it was them? Seconds passed without another sound, or was it minutes? How long had they been hiding from whatever had set Rocket off? It seemed like enough time though, there wasn't anything threatening. Maybe something had just spooked her, like a squirrel or a rabbit or-

The clouds parted and the moon bathed the sparsely leafed trees with light. Lacey inhaled a gasping breath and her blade raised and sunk.

An agonizing cry pierced the air. Male. Lacey yanked her blade away, her boot landed heavily onto the male figure, earning an 'Oof!' as he thumped to the ground. "RUN!" Lacey shouted at the top of her lungs, but her call was cut off when something heavy struck across her face. She swung her blade, it landed with a CLUNK, the barrel of a rifle. The sounds of struggle and fight filled the air. Female versus male. She kicked and sliced, pulling out her knife she went in for a kill but was hit from the side. Her blade fell from her grasp but she still held the trenchknife firmly. She drew it upward and sunk it down, the person cried out and let her go long enough for her to see that it wasn't just she who was being attacked, Michonne was holding off two figures, Andrea and Rocket were struggling with one, and Sam wasn't anywhere to be seen. Did she actually listen? Did she run?

"Good girl." Lacey breathed, but then choked out a gasp a moment later when a fist full of her hair was tugged sharply and a coolness of a gun muzzle pressed to her temple.

"Lacey!"

'_Damn it, Sam_.'

The knife was pulled from her hand, her bag torn away from her body. A punch landed heavily into her stomach, bringing a new world of pain and a rekindled stabbing ache. She was picked up and easily tossed over a shoulder, "I got one! Let's go!" the person that was holding her shouted. She'd have fought back if the wind hadn't been knocked out of her and the pain so momentarily crippling. But then she found herself being dropped, landing on the woodland ground she heard another scream of agony, there were some words with it though, something that sounded like, 'My ass! My ass! Shot in the ass! What the fuck!'

"Lacey!" Sam's cry was shrill, there was the sound of a loud thump and running.

"Mich!" Lacey called loudly, "Take her! Take them and go! Go NOW!"

Lacey cried in pain again when a hand grabbed her hair and pulled her up to stand. "I got the bitch! Let the others go, it ain't worth it!"

"No! No! We can't leave her! Lacey!" Sam's screamed and it broke Lacey's heart, but it was all for her safety, it would be better this way.

Strong hands hefted Lacey over a shoulder again and she could see Michonne holding Sam back. The girl struggled and shoved at the female swordsman, but she held fast.

"Do as I say, Little Sis! Go!"

"No! No, Lacey! No! NO! PLEASE, NO!"

There was another sudden pain, then everything went black for Lacey...

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><p>Her head throbbed, she couldn't open her eyes, or they were covered with something, she couldn't be sure, the pain was too much. She could feel movement, she was being moved, to where? By who? Her ears were ringing, but she could hear voices. They sounded like they were underwater or something, muffled. But she listened as much as she could. More than one voice. One of them was closer than the other. The tones didn't sound familiar. Not Rick, or T-Dog, not Hershel or Glenn. They had that southern twang like Daryl's... but it wasn't him. None of the voices were familiar even if they were muffled.<p>

"Back so soon fellas? Proper hunt takes more than a day. Wha'did y'all fin- Oh. Oh, what the hell! A girl? Chick's bleedin', what the hell is wrong with her? She bit? Why would you bring a bit girl here?"

"She ain't bit. I checked... thoroughly..."

"Then why's she bleedin'?"

"I don't- I mean- Uhhm, it's comin'... it's comin' from... _down_ _there_."

"Well that's just fuckin' sick man. What're ya? Some kind of animal?"

"What! I didn't even-"

"Sure, sure. Just take her to the infirmary, Doc'll fix her up."

All the sound fell away. All her senses faded as the pain took over and she fell back into the abyss again...

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><p>Lacey groaned, her head felt totally kicked in, and the pillow beneath her head wasn't doing her any favours to ease her discomfort. The sound of squeaky springs hit her ears as she adjusted, turning onto her side and moving a hand under the pillow in an effort to get more comfortable. It helped, only slightly, she felt herself drifting off again.<p>

Her eyes shot open, squeaky bed springs, a pillow, head pain? Come to think of it, as she shot up in the crummy cot of a bed, her entire body ached, arms, legs, her lungs felt dry and burned as she inhaled and exhaled quickly, fear getting the best of her. Her stomach hurt too. Her stomach... She lay a hand over her flat belly. What used to be inside, a creation, a life, growing... she hadn't even known, but it was gone now. But that matter could be pushed aside for the time being, at the moment she needed to assess her surroundings and try to remember how she got there... where ever she was.

"Well, looky what we got here." a voice suddenly spoke in what she thought was a completely empty room, a room that had a few more beds like the one she was in, the lights were on dim, and she wasn't in the clothes she remembered wearing for the past four days. A hospital gown? How in the-? She located the owner of the voice, a figure, large, towering, dark, and slowly approaching. Her weapons, just like her clothes, were gone. But they were ripped from her during the fight. The fight! Sam, Andrea, Michonne and Rocket. God, she hoped they hadn't been captured too. She was helpless, confused and scared. She shrunk back against the bed, squirming further into the back corner in hopes of getting away, though scurrying right into a corner was counterproductive in itself. "Never thought I'd see your purdy face again. Though, to be honest with ya, ya look like hell..."

That voice, she perked up slightly, squinting in the dull light. The figure moved closer and closer until it was at the foot of the bed. "Good to see ya, darlin'..."

Her breath left her in a gasp, eyes widening, and she found herself unconsciously leaning forward, "You're alive..." she breathed.

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><p><strong>Diclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>

**A/N: Freshly editted! I really hope there's no mistakes... Now, I'm not an expert on pregnancy or miscarriage, but I did a little research, and from what I gathered I figured I did well enough with what's going on with Lacey. With so little development it's not so bad, it's sort of like a regular period but with extra painful cramps. If you've got beef with it, then, well, I don't know. I don't want to have to go back and make changes unless something is pointed out that's of significance, ya know?**

**But anyway. What a way to end a story eh? I'm pretty sure most of you will be able to piece together who's talking to her at the end. If you don't, then... well... never ending suspense until fall!**

**My character meeting my favorite badass of the comics, holy lord, that was fun to write. I love Michonne, just so... so much. All her actions, all her craziness, so... so great. LOVE!**

**So! That is the final chapter. Chapter 32.5 is soon to come. Any final reviews until the .5? I'd love to hear some thoughts.**


	61. 32 point 5

**28You're Not Going To Die.5**

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><p>Curled up in the mud, hidden from sight... probably from scent too, scared and alone. I lost count of how many days I've been out here. There were a couple times when I heard what sounded like the echo of a gunshot, and I thought I might try and find where the shot came from, but... I think I'll get even more lost... and this is a good hiding place, I've been here for the past, what I think might be, four days. Sometimes I'll hear foot steps, dragging, lazy footsteps and I know that's not my mom, or Rick, or somebody familiar, I know it's one of those monsters. I hold my breath, my eyes are wide open until the sound fades away. I try not to cry, but somtimes, especially at night, it just gets so scary, and hopeless. I think I'll never find my way back, my mom will never find me...<p>

... But my mom... she would never... she would never even try... She's too weak...

All my life, well, all since I can remember she's been so weak. I used to think that was normal. All moms and dads were like that. Dad would shout, mom would shake in fear and beg for forgiveness (even if it wasn't her fault), dad would drink a lot and smell a lot like what he drank, dad would hit mom, mom would cry and accept it. And it would go like that over and over and over again. Like it was normal. Then I guess when I got old enough... I got pulled into the cycle. But most times it was mom that would get hit. She would always say, "He's just a little upset. I'm fine. I'm alright." But it wasn't true, I learned after a while that it wasn't true, and it wasn't normal. We could've escaped from my father, but my mother... she was just too weak.

I remember the day the 'Strong Woman', as I then-referred to her in my head, came into camp. She had a baby, three dogs and three brothers, and she beat up Merle Dixon. I thought she was indestructable, that maybe she was the person that would actually save us all from this and lead us back home, guide us back to how things were before. Her name was Lacey Black. She was like a superhero... to me at least.

But then my dad got to her too. He hit her, and she bled and bruised just like my mom... But unlike my mom, from the whispers I heard around the camp, she hit him back. She fought back... Something my mother would never do... she **really** was a superhero...

The bruise faded slowly, but the cut on her lip was taking a little longer to heal. That's what I remember, that's the last I saw of her. She was trying to get that little Erin girl out of her shell, make her calm down and relax, know that she was safe now. And she really was, I mean, with a guardian like Lacey she couldn't get much safer... but then there was Daryl too... Daryl and Lacey, they were an odd pair, a strange couple. Compared to the other couples I've seen, like my mom and dad, Shane and Lori, Rick and Lori... Daryl and Lacey didn't seem to fit, but at the same time, they were sort of, I don't know, cute together, I guess... And Daryl with Honey, that **was** cute, there was **no** doubt about that... Daryl was a hunter, a mean guy, like his brother... well, not exactly like his brother, but still, tough... rough... But with Lacey, Honey and even Erin he was gentle...

I wonder how Honey will turn out- grow up into, I mean- with parents like Lacey and Daryl... Probably never scared, tough as nails... not the type to get chased into a forest by walkers...

A sound hit my ears so suddenly it almost hurt, but it was so far away. I flinched, it was probably walkers, I curled into myself a little tighter, fighting back the stinging in my eyes.

The sound came again, but this time... It sounded... It sounded like my name? No, couldn't be... It was just my mind playing tricks on me.

Footsteps. I gasped and tried to push myself further away from sight, though my back was already pressed firmly against the back of the hole wall.

The sound again, it **was** my name! But I couldn't get out with a walker near by, it was close by the sounds of it too... but if I got out... I could just run, listen and not look back. That's what Jo said, Lacey's brother. That's how I survived so far, I think. Listening to his words in my head; run, don't look back, always listen...

The steps were getting closer now, slower though... until they stopped.

The covering of leaves and branches I put over the hole moved away and the light stung my eyes before I saw a face. I squeezed my eyes shut. There was no where to go, I was done for.

"Sophia?" the walker spoke. Wait! Walkers don't talk. I opened my eyes. There was a girl, long brown hair tied back into a pony tail, friendly brown eyes, and she had a bow in her grasp, and an arrow in her other hand. A knife was hanging from her belt loop too, a familiar looking knife. She rearranged the items in her hands before extending her reach out to me, "Come with me, Sophia. My name's Sam, I'm friends with Lacey, we've been looking for you everywhere."

"Lacey?" I questioned, my voice cracked. I hadn't spoken in a long time- for fear of attracting a walker.

"Yes. She's just over here. Let's go. Can you wa-" the girl stopped in mid word, her eyes snapped away from me and looked around slowly. The sound of my name being called had ceased, but Sam must have heard something else. Her grip on my hand tightened, "Can you walk?" she whispered.

I nodded, unsure of why her tone had lowered so, but sure that I shouldn't utter a word higher than a gasp.

"Okay," she jerked her head in the general direction of where we should go, "this way." she said quietly.

Sticks broke beneath weight and the sound echoed to us, the sound of quick steps were coming toward us, and that unmistakable sound that said, "Walkers." Sam breathed, "Go. Go! Run!" she pulled me out of the hole and nudged me none too gently away from her.

My legs were a little shakey, but I did what she said. I heard the unsheathing of Lacey's knife and the sound of it sinking into flesh. Then Sam shouted. Footsteps were catching up with mine, I really was done for now. The walkers had Sam but they wanted me too.

A hand clasped with mine. I looked to the source. Sam! "Come on!" she breathed harshly and practically dragged me through the trees and bushes until we stumbled into a patch of clear ground where Lacey stood, a sharp, long blade in her grip...

She'd come for me, searched for me and saved me. She cut down the walkers with a grace I've only seen in movies.

Lacey was a superhero. My hero... I wouldn't be a woman like my mother, I'd fight against it, I wouldn't be weak. I want to be strong, I want to be tough and fearless.

I want to be a woman like Lacey Black.

_-S. Peletier_

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**29Don't Get Too Comfy.5**

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><p>Lace and Sam came back with a perfectly uninjured (aside from a few bumps, tiny scratches, completely filthy, but totally) alive Sophia. Everything was looking up for once. Though we lost Dale... which was... uhh... tough, we still found Sophia after all those days and all those people- ahem, Shane -that said it wasn't worth it. Everything was fine. Fall was approaching with winter soon to follow, but we needn't worry since Hershel was granting our admittance into his home. It was working out, it was <em>actually<em> working out. We'd just live here until it was all over, until the madness passed and society was re-established and everything could go back to normal...

But there wouldn't be 'normal' ever again, not really, not after what we who survived have seen, smelled, done and been through. Normalcy would be just an idea of the past, how things used to be, how people used to act... history...

I was a fool to believe we'd be rewarded a win without any repercussions, but that's how this world was. The bad just snuck up on you when you were distracted with your minor good; gloating, bathing, smiling in the light... then the dark comes and snatches all the joy away, all ideas, all dreams of happiness, or even the glimpse of a possibility...

I told Amy there was nothing to worry about, that I was just taking up a post on the porch, there was no danger... But then... I guess I must've jinxed it. I thought the worst was our captive escaping and wielding a gun while our boys went to go find him and catch him all over again, but no...

Two came back empty handed but came bearing a tale. Randall was a walker, and he hadn't been bit... I saw Lacey pale and I saw Sam shift uncomfortably, it would've seemed a normal reaction to what Daryl had just said, but I could see something underneath it, and when they glanced toward each other... there was something there too. Rob and Ben may have been good at reading Lacey because they had time to study her since her birth, but I've begun to notice things, little observations. I could read my sister as if I were the older sibling. But I couldn't decipher that glance she and Sam shared, there was different sort of fear in it, but I couldn't see the reason beyond it...

Though that would be the very least of my worries a minute later. Making our way outside to fetch Rick and Shane back, but screeching to a halt. Seeing all those walkers... I instantly knew we didn't stand a chance, but I couldn't just snatch up Amy, Lacey, the girls and bail like I honestly wanted to. We were a group, almost a family, we needed to stick together, fight together, protect each other.

Amy and I took up a vehicle, she insisted on helping and I wouldn't argue with her, in fact, I preferred her to be as near to me as possible, my girl. Rocket jumped into the backseat, she'd basically become my little shadow, following around me or Lacey since Blue and Blondie had died. Amy drove while I took up Dale's rifle. All those first person shooter games couldn't even compare to reality. Shooting, hanging out of a window of a moving vehicle on very, very, uneven terrain was difficult... But I still took my shots when I saw them. Clipping off the side of a skull, or hitting them straight on through the face. A few shots went wasted, and eventually I was almost out. We were way out in the field, the barn was on fire and collapsing, it was complete and utter chaos, there was no saving the farm, it was overrun, we had to leave...

_-J. Black_

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**30I Don't Know.5**

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><p>It was time to get tough... well... tougher. I'd already been through a few walker attacks and dealt with some way too close for comfort encounters. I'm 14 years old and I'm hardly phased by the number of walkers roaming into the farm grounds... that can't be, uhh, good, right? Psychologically... or something? But that was something therapists could figure out later, if this ever ended and there <em>were<em> therapists around to sort me out... Now was the time for action, and I wasn't afraid of it.

But then... when Lacey told me to go and look for Carl instead of joining in the fight, I don't know, something just switched from fierce warrior to terrified child, and could almost feel an instant tremor in my limbs. Going into the fight with Lacey, Daryl and the rest of them would've been alright, no jitters... but her going out with just the... the adults... I guess. I suppose it's 'cause we haven't really been away from each other for some time, we've been spending almost every minute, every waking and resting hour of every day together... _God_, I _am_ a child. But a child would argue with her, which I didn't, I just asked for a little more confirmation about what was going on, some reassurance, then I did as I was instructed.

I searched for Carl, I moved quickly and looked everywhere I could, but he wasn't turning up. The only thing I could think of was him wandering out of the house in search of his own lost father, that's what I would've done... well, not for _my_ father, obviously, but for Lacey or Daryl, definitely. The farm was getting fuller with more and more unwanted walker occupants. Cars were moving along the uneven farmland, the sounds of gun fire and roaring engines filled the air, but I couldn't see anything except walkers. I had my bow and my arrows and Lacey's knife, the bow and arrows were inside the house on a sofa, the knife was hanging from my belt loop. I wouldn't dare go out there with just a knife, if Lacey had been convinced to take up a gun then I knew I should stay rooted to the porch until told otherwise.

Lori was losing it, with all the chaos and losing Carl she was close to hysterics, almost crying and almost yelling at me and Carol. But Carol had managed to calm her down, getting her to think clearly and soon I was bolting up the stairs collecting up the girls. It was all us women folk; me, the girls, Sophia, Lori, Carol, Beth and Patricia. I didn't know what the plan of action was, I was relying soley on Lori... which it seemed would end in a bad way for all of us...

There were walkers everywhere, so near to the porch that it would be impossible for us as a group to sneak our way anywhere, all out scents combined, it just wouldn't work... And it didn't. They got Patricia, three of them, then five them, sinking their teeth into her and tugging her down all while she held on for dear life onto Beth, screaming as the flesh was torn from her and the blood gushed. Carol yanked Beth's hand away from Patricia's, urging us all on as Patricia's screams sounded loudly before they started to fade.

This was a bad idea, it was just bad. We'd barely made it off the porch 10 feet and already lost one of our own.

I stayed close to the girls, Erin had one hand held by Lori and one by me, Honey was in my arms and Sophia was inches in front of me, holding onto her mother. "Where the hell are we going?" I huffed under my breath, bouncing Honey slightly to calm her mounting fear. She was grumbling, uneasy, and building up a sob, I could recognize it, and I had to stop it. But she could probably sense my own dread, and it was putting her off, I would've easily calmed down if I knew what the hell was going! We were running ourselves into a freakin' corner! Walkers were catching our scent and movement and closing in fast. I passed Honey off to Sophia and drew an arrow back sending it straight into the skull of a fast approaching walker. The women around me screamed as it crumbled to a halt just near to our feet. Erin was holding onto Sophia now and looking around I saw that Lori had grabbed onto a hysterical Beth to keep her from getting herself killed.

"Don't get separated!" I called to them as I sent another arrow flying, but arrows weren't going to cut it, we were about to be engulfed. I had to do something, something to save them even if it meant sacrificing my own life.

"Go! Go back to the porch! Circle 'round and we'll get into a car. I'll lead them off!"

The girls listened. Sophia, Erin and Honey scurried away toward the porch, quickly, even though Lori screamed at them to come back.

"Lori! Follow them!" I shouted and drew back another arrow and let it fly before slinging the bow over my shoulder and drawing out Lacey's knife.

"No! You're gonna get yourself killed!" she screamed back at me.

"So are you! You just led us out here without a plan! Now do what I say before you get ripped to shreds!" I ended the discussion there and started waving my arms, making noises- making a show for the walkers. Attracting them to me, ignoring the three huddled women. The walkers came on quicker than I thought they would, Lori and Carol were screaming for the girls and me, but then Hershel's old blue truck roared by before screeching to a halt. Andrea stepped out and started firing round after round at the walkers that were closing in on me. I was looking around, there were still so many, there was no way to make a clean escape without getting grabbed.

"Sam! Make your way to the truck!" Andrea called.

"I'm trying! I just can't- I..." THERE! There was an opening, and I took it, running hard and fast. Maybe if the truck just stayed a little longer... I shot a glance over my shoulder, a rule broken that Lacey and Jo would be furious at me for but I had to take the chance. A hulking walker's body fell on top of Andrea, taking her down with it, and the truck's wheels were struggling to find purchase in the dirt before it finally roared away. No...

No, wait! It's okay! I can run to the end of the dirt road, surely someone will be there. How far away is that, a mile, a little over, I could do it. I could. I shook those walkers right?

I glanced over my shoulder again. Shit! Wrong! No, no, no, no! Oh, god. What the hell! I just hope the girls were in the truck before it sped off...

I would always be able to rely on Daryl Dixon and Lacey Black, always. Though... I was a little confused to see Daryl without Lacey I quickly assumed that he'd already transported her somewhere safe and away from here. Lacey, Daryl and Ben were the first adults I'd found since this whole thing started, Lacey and Daryl were my saviors. My family. As long as they were around I could survive this.

_S. Rome_

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><p>"Amy, we have to go." I breathed as I fell back into the passenger seat and rolled up my window. Rocket's head was hovering just beside Amy's shoulder, looking out the front window, panting and growling.<p>

"But the farm." she protested smally, coming to a stop, "And the others? We can't just leave them!"

I bit my lip and turned in my seat, looking past Rocket and toward the farm I couldn't see any other cars except for Carol's Jeep and Hershel's red truck, there was no one on the porch, but walkers were everywhere.

"There's no one there anymore. We have to go." I turned back in my seat as I assured and begged her.

"But, A-Andrea, a-a-and Lacey and Sam and the girls." Amy whimpered slightly, tears were filling her beautiful blue eyes.

"Baby, listen to me. There's no one there, that means that they left too. We need to go. The farm is a lost cause, there's no saving it."

"But-" she screamed a moment later, Rocket barked loudly from the back seat at the window, walkers were roaming toward our stationary vehicle, one slammed against my window. I jumped, but I had to stay calm, I had to for her.

"Amy, baby, listen!" my hands reached out for her, one rested against her cheek and the other in one of her hands, I looked straight into her eyes, making sure she kept her eyes on me, focused, "We need to move now! We'll hook up with the others on the road, we'll find them! We'll find Lacey, and the girls, and Andrea, we'll all find each other. I promise you. Okay? You need to drive now, baby."

She nodded, blinking away her tears and taking her foot off the brake and lurching us into motion again.

I said what I said to get to her move, to keep her calm, it was all with good intentions and hope in mind... but then Andrea wasn't there when we all met up again... And when Rick refused to let anyone go back I knew... I knew it would be my own sister who'd convince him, who'd go out for the search... In this world I guess it was an eye for an eye... sibling for a sibling... loss after loss...

_-J. Black_

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**31I'm Infected By Your Pandemic.5**

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><p>I hadn't stepped into the shop with intention to loot, I mean, there was hardly anything there to take to begin with. The place was in ruins, the door hung off its hinges, the entire front window was shattered, most of the shards and pieces littered the floor on the inside, which meant it had probably been broken from the outside. The glass crunched under my shoe, it was a strange sound, it sent a chill through me whenever I stepped. There were remains of glass cases that went around the small shop, the fabric that jewelry lay on was something like velvet, it was ripped and pulled away, the store was a picture of chaos, like an animal stripped of everything only leaving broken bones. The rest of the town was in the same condition. There were no walkers in the shop, that's why I had gone in, to check for walkers- <strong>NOT<strong> to loot. But then on my way out it had caught my eye. Beneath glass that had been tinted with blood, probably from someone smashing at the cases with their hands, I saw it shining. It wasn't obvious, I did a double take to be sure, actually. But it was there, a lone ring, the last piece of jewelry in a ransacked jewelry store. I toed the glass away and picked it up. It was a simple, thin silver band. Nothing special at all. But so unique as well... a neglected ring in a destroyed shop in a miniscule town in the middle of nowhere during the apocalypse? I couldn't just leave it... But I wouldn't wear something like that, even though it was simple it was too fancy for me, too adult.

So as I put in my pocket and wandered out of the store and to the next one I thought I could give it to Lacey, she'd probably like it. But then another thought struck me, so suddenly, so... _cheesy_. I'd give it to Daryl. Maybe he could give it to Lacey as a making up gift... or something...

It was when we were roaming through the trees with my new bow when Daryl started talking about something other than my stance, the way I held myself, the bow, the arrow, where I should be looking, or how I should be breathing. (After hitting targets on tree trunks he decided I needed to get a feel for moving targets, hence why were were roaming through the trees looking for unfortunate creatures to act as my target practice.) He'd started talking about Lacey, no surprise there, but he was speaking in such a self-hateful way, saying things like; he didn't deserve her, if the world was the right way she'd've never given him the time of day, he was a poor, old hick and she was princess, and how it just wasn't right. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't! They were right for each other, no matter what he said or the circumstances, and I told him that. I contradicted every statement he'd uttered, and cut him off before he could try to protest some more. I gave him a talking to, that's for sure. And then I presented the ring with the offhanded suggestion of giving it to her as gift.

But I saw something click in that mind of his, saw something in his eyes when he gazed at the shining silver band.

"What if I... I mean, maybe... d'ya think...?" he mummbled curiously.

"Sorry? I'm not sure if you're aware, but those weren't actually complete sentences. I mean, I grew up here too, but I have the decency to clean up my grammar when I'm talking." I shot back jokingly.

He finally looked up from the ring with a slight glare in his eye, "What if I give this to her..."

I raised my brow high on my forehead, "Yeeah, pretty sure I already suggested that... Nice try though."

"No," he grumbled with a roll of his eyes, "I mean, _**give**_ this to her."

"No matter how much you enunciate it doesn't make it anymore cleare-" I paused, a smile bursting on my face, "Oh... OH!"

"Keep your voice down, kid. And calm the hell down, it ain't gonna be a _white_ _weddin'_ or anythin'. Pretty sure god ain't payin' attention anymore neither." his fingers toyed at the ring as he grumbled.

I snorted, "That's for damn sure."

"Watch your mouth."

I chuckled under my breath, and grinned before asking, "You're serious, though?"

There were a few moments of silence before he shrugged, "Y...Yeah... I mean, I guess so..."

"You guess so?" I repeated and scoffed, I pulled my bow up again and pulled the arrow back, scanning the trees and ground, "You're gonna need to be more sure than 'I guess so' if you're suggesting what I _know_ you're suggesting."

"I know that." he snapped quickly, "It's just, uhh, difficult." he explained quietly.

"Shouldn't be." I mummbled and let the arrow go. There was a minor squeak, and the sound of fluttering wings as birds took flight away from where my arrow had sunk.

I smiled at my catch, morbid as it was, I was pretty proud. "If you're sure, then it shouldn't be difficult. Why don't you think about it before you do anything rash."

That was back when we had time, or at least we _thought_ we had time to take a few moments or days to just think things over. But now it was all about acting. Things were happening so suddenly that if Daryl really meant what he first suggested that he needed to act quickly before something else did. But if Lacey was lost to the overrun farm... it would be too late...

_-S. Rome_

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><p>I could've and probably should've done it the instant she came back. After scarin' the hell out of me and everyone else, I should've just done it. I mean, hell, I already slipped and let those damn words fall out of my mouth (which I realised about an hour later why she'd looked so stunned before I left to search for Randall). I should've just dropped on a knee like a complete jackass and did it. But no. I didn't. Now my nerves are fuckin' with my head because I just let her go like that, let her go back to the house that was swarmin' with walkers... Shit, I'm a goddamn moron... I should go back.<p>

No. No! She can handle it. She's my girl, she's tough, and smart and she can handle it. She's got a plan, she's always got a plan, and it'll work, and I'll see her soon. And when I see her I'm gonna give her this damn ring and tell her... I'm gonna tell her that... _thing_... again and I'm gonna ask her to be... to be mine... I guess...

No! Not 'I guess'. I know. I know! I'll ask her to mine, my, uhh, my... wife...

My wife... Yeah... That sounds right... sounds good. Lacey, my girl, my wife...

**Fuck**, I hope I did the right thing letting her go like that...

_-D. Dixon_

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**32Bangarang.5**

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><p><em>"Fight the pirates, Lace! Fight them!"<em>

Initially that had woken me up, and in annoyance I was going to tell Ben, 'Shut the hell up I'm trying to sleep', but then it hit me, the truth and the pain all at once. The truth- Ben was dead, he was gone for a while now, but I heard his voice so clearly. And the pain. Oh yes, the pain. I remember now... And I remember hearing Ben again before I was clocked out...

...Fight the pirates...

That was the one time he played with us; me, Rob and Jo, I mean. I was Peter Pan, well, I was _Perrin_ _Pan_, because Robbie said I couldn't have the name 'Peter' it was a boys name, he just would **not** allow it. So he went to mother and asked what was a girl version for the name Peter. She thought for a long while before she said Perrin. So Perrin Pan came to be. Rob was a Lost Boy and so was Jo, though he wasn't exactly aware of the game we were playing we let him participate all the same. Every time I would ask Ben to join I was faced with the same rejection, 'No, Lace, I don't have time for that', 'No, Lace, that's dumb.', 'No. Lace.'... But then there was the one time, the one time that he accepted and it stunned me, stunned me so that I was immobile for a few moments before uttering, 'Really?'

I didn't know what came over him to finally oblige me in my silly conquests, but I didn't give a moment to care. Ben was playing with us! Pretending to fly around the penthouse with us in 'Never Never Land'. Exploring through the Neverwood, Mermaids' Lagoon and Marooners' Rock...

_The adventures of the day were about to come to an end until their father came through the door and Ben gasped loudly, "Pirate! He means to steal our Mother Wendy." Rob and Lacey gasped, but Jo, being too young to understand to play along, was overjoyed to see his father walk through the door. He walked on his still slightly unsure nearly two year old limbs to the man who scooped him up after taking off his suit jacket, chuckling as he did so._

_"He's captured JoJo! We have to do something, Perrin!" Rob cried, the boy would've been a wonderful actor, had he been given the chance and had the drive for it._

_"He'll make a fine pirate one day, won't he? Big, fearsome and coldblooded. The Captain will be thrilled about the new shipmate, and even more so about the Wendy lady." their father grinned, tweaking his accent to become even thicker and devious._

_The boys glanced at their younger sister waiting for a response. And a moment later she pulled the cardboard sword that was dangling from her hand upward, letting out a roar as she led the charge toward the 'pirate'._

_"We have to protect Wendy! Don't let him get to her!"_

_"Ahh! He almost got me!"_

_"Save JoJo!"_

_Laughter emitted from them as they progressed from the entry hall toward the living room. JoJo was giggling in his father's arms, Rob was hooked on his left leg and Ben and Lacey were cirlcing around jabbing at their father with their cardboard blades._

_"Mom! Run! There's a crazy pirate in the Underground! He's got JoJo! He's coming to get you!" Rob called, using his own sword to jab at the man's thigh, but then the cardboard was snatched from his grip. Their father laughed triumphantly as he raised the blade into the air before poking Ben's stomach with it. The oldest Black sibling made a big show of dying, making a dramatic choking sound and clutching at his middle before falling onto the carpet. Lacey ran to him._

_"Nooo!" Robbie called, once again, the actor in him ready to claim his Oscar._

_"Fight the pirates, Lace! Fight them!" Ben coughed before going closing his eyes, sticking his tongue out and going limp._

_"Her name's not Lacey, it's Perrin!" Rob corrected as he jumped to try and get his sword back._

_The game eventually ended in a fit of giggles with the whole family piled on the couch. It was the first and last time Ben had played with them._

... Fight the pirates... Maybe it was my subconscious... or I'm just crazy... but I swear I heard him... fight the pirates... The men that captured me... pirates. Andrea, Sam, Michonne and I... lost boys...?

If this was some weird, interstellar, voodoo message from beyond the grave or something I think I might be genuinely losing it. If Ben wanted me to fight the pirates then I did. I fought. I did. And I lost. There was no point in fighting now though. I have no idea where I am, no idea what kind of people I'm with, though, obviously they're the kind of people that fight, knock out and kidnap you, but beyond that, no idea. My weapons are... I have no clue where they are, here with my captors, still in the forest or with my friends. I have no sense of direction, no map, so there's no point in trying to escape and find my way back to-

Who knows where they are now anway... Who knows if Sam and Rocket were able to lead them back to the group. Daryl would be... Jo would understand. Amy would cry, so would Lori and probably Carol... maybe Maggie too. And Erin... oh god... my girls. Erin and Honey. Erin will be confused and Honey... she won't understand. My baby girl, my-

Oh god. My **baby**... The one that... Daryl and I, our baby... It was gone. Just as soon as I knew about it it was gone. A baby... A baby was growing inside me but I couldn't, I mean, _it_ couldn't... It was gone now, it doesn't really matter anymore, right? Nothing to worry about, no proper amount of food or water intake to worry about, no worries about sleep or stress on the baby, no pregnancy hormones. No childbirth in the middle of a field or in a ditch. No worry of a newborn babe's wail ringing out the dinner bell for walkers. No fear of raising a child in this nightmare world... It was better this way... Still hurt though... physically, mentally, emotionally... But it was over. Over before it hardly began.

I guess now all I need to worry about is... me... Where I am, why I'm here and who brought me here... and why so physically violent? But if these survivors intended to continue to act like pirates I'll have no choice but to retaliate with a lost boys spirit. Become Perrin again...

Hey, wait...

Yeah...

Yeah!

Perrin could overcome this, Perrin could be my armor, protecting Lacey until we were finally free, if we ever became free, until we found the others again...if we did...

At least there's a familiar face to keep me company. Hopefully he'd stay true to the last words he said to me, 'You're alright', but it's been such a long time... hopefully I'm still in his favour, he'd be the only ally Perrin has against these pirates...

_-L. Black__ Perrin Pan_

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><p>I can't believe I let her go without tellin' her I love her...<p>

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><p><em>.<em>

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.<strong>

**Author's Note: So that's the final .5 chapter. Hopefully the last unsigned entry is **_**painfully**_** obvious who it's from. And there's a nudge at Lacey's sanity (finally) coming into question, because, come on, NO ONE can stay strong forever ;]**

**If there are any questions I'll gladly answer them. **

**I WILL be continuing with this story****, mainly because I simply can't end it like that, leaving Lacey in the clutches of... well, **_**you know who**_** (Not Voldemort, that's a different fandom :P), wondering if Sam ever makes it back to Daryl, wondering what Daryl's going to do... and Michonne just being a badass... And The Walking Dead series is just so much FUN! So. Author Alert me, I suppose, if you're interested in the continuation of the many dramatic OC stories here. I've been thinking about titles, and I might use the title 'Uninvited' for the continued story/beginning of season 3, but there isn't really anything in the works (though since seeing the Comic Con trailer for Season 3 my mind has starting freaking out and scheming).**

**I think I might drum up a series of little one-shots of some of the characters from **_**Before**_**, something to just busy myself with until the show returns, and keep readers interested, maybe. So yeah! Reviews are much appreciated! Author Alert! If you'd like (some of you already have, BIG thanks to you!). See you next season!**


	62. Hey! Long time, no read Just a note!

Do to a particular new reader's keen interest and lovely reviews I've decided to try my very damnedest to create a chapter(s?) containing a sort of collection of... say... a few deleted scenes?

Sequences from deleted scenes may involve but are not limited to...

- more one on one conversations between characters

- life Before

- Lacey's resume

- and the ACTUAL deleted scene that sort of connects TS:19 and What Lies Ahead that can be found on The Walking Dead The Complete Second Season's bonus features.

Now I don't know if this chapter (or chapters) will be published before Season 3's premiere since I just recently was hired on to seasonal job, but I'm hoping to at least get a couple chapters out that detail the deleted scene from the bonus features because the instant I saw that scene I knew I had to add our favorite Black family to it.

While I have your attention [some of you at least. If you've made it this far in the note - dedication- I thank you for it.] I have some... announcements... I guess.

Concerning Season 3 and our heroin. I have no idea how the season is going to play out.

I doubt it's going to go anything like how the novels go, but if it does, rock on.

I'm hoping that Andrea and Michonne [if not both then JUST Michonne] escape the Governor's clutches and make it back to Rick and the others. And I'm super desperate to know what exactly Merle is doing. [BY THE WAY! I NEVER GAVE UP ON MERLE! ALL THE TIME I SAID HE'S TOUGH, HE'S STILL ALIVE! HE'S OUT THERE! I KNOW IT! AND NO ONE BELIEVED ME! BUT THEN BAM! BADASS KNIFE ATTACHMENT ON HIS BUM ARM! LIKE A MOTHERFUCKING BADASS! GAH! I love Merle. I really do. He's a horrible, HORRIBLE person, but just. I love him.] And I want to know where the fuck he went and where he's been. And I have no idea if he's with the Governor in Woodbury, I just put him there in Lacey's 'hospital room' because that's how I wanted it [made for a good dramatic ending, no?]. Ha! But if he's not among the Governor's citizens, then... well... fuck. I'll just have to continue on my merry way with how I decided it to be. Um. Yeah. But I've got some new ideas. New drama in mind.

I'm thinking I might have to put in my own little twists anyway, for Lacey's sake I mean. I can't have her brainwashed by the Governor, not completely at least, I mean, I- oops... maybe I've said too much [heh heh heeeeh].

So, yeah... I think that's quite enough out of me. So look forward to that!

The collection of Deleted Scenes will be under a new separate work entitled '_**Dance On Our Graves**_'.

Certain lyrics from Dance On Our Graves by Paper Route I think correspond well in reflecting the constant fear our beloved group feels while trying to survive in this _mad_ _world_. And the things they have had to face, the things they have had to deal with, the things they have had to learn and do that they never thought they would ever have to learn and do.

_I hear something out there callin' my name.  
>No matter where I turn it all looks the same.<br>I never sleep at night, I just stay up and wait._

_..._

_I know the man I am is not who I should be.  
>The devil takes my hand and says child come with me.<br>My body shivers and aches. I can't break free._

But what's also being said, concerning Daryl and Lacey, is that need, that seeking of comfort, and that disbelief and/or uncertainty in their feelings toward the other. Needing each other more than they thought, more than they had anticipated... and it's kind of scary- the part where they realize it- but it's sort of... wonderful too- when the come to terms with it.

_Will I know it?  
>Will I know it?<br>Will I know it when I see it?_

_..._

_Will I know it when you're here?_

_..._

_I need you now, I need you more than ever before... before..._

I have a title for Season 3's continuation story, which will also be a new, separate work, but I'll release that information at another time.

For now, be aware of 'Dance On Our Graves' in the near, near future.

Thank you to all the wonderful readers who've added me to their author alerts and favorites, as well as adding 'Mad World' to their alerts and favorites. Stick with me, dearies, it's going to get a lot more magical ;D


	63. A note concerning Dance On Our Graves

**Dance On Our Graves** should be up very soon with its first chapter, entitled, '_A Memorable Birthday Gift: A Night at The Pleasure Theatre_'.

Check it out! It's short, but tell me what you think. Leave a review. Or don't. Totally up to you. But I'd love to know your opinions, hate or love, I like to hear from you.

The Walking Dead is almost back with its third season! How will I ever manage to keep incorporating Lacey Black [ or is it Perrin Pan now? ] into this wonderfully enchanting series!?

Ooh, I'll manage somehow :)


	64. friendly note

I notice many are favoriting AND following this story even though it is complete. I greatly appreciate the favorites (like you don't even know, it gives me the warm and tinglys in my belly and heart), I don't know if the follow is intentional, but the story IS complete. And the next story in this series is: **Dance On Our Graves**. I wasn't sure if that was clear, so... there you go. Friendly note.

- Banshee


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